BALTIMORE — A homeowner fed up with cars crashing into her property tried for two years to get the City to do something about the speeding in her neighborhood. When her calls and 311 requests went unanswered, she contacted WMAR-2 News for help.
In November, WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii spoke with Barbara Baskerville and her neighbors about their concerns regarding the intersection at Windsor Avenue and North Dukeland Street. In the last two years, Baskerville has had to replace her fence three times after cars crashed into it.
“I don't know what they're avoiding, but they always end up over here,” Baskerville told Sofastaii.
READ MORE: Homeowner forced to replace fence three times due to intersection crashes
In addition to the costly repairs, Baskerville and her neighbors were worried about safety and the lack of visibility after a driver took down a lamp post back in July that still hadn't been replaced.
Sofastaii spoke with Baskerville on November 14. Three weeks later, another crash at the same intersection took out a second lamp post.
“I heard the bang. I was right there in the living room, and when I went to the door, it was a van up on the grassy area, and it had hit two poles, a light pole and an electric pole,” Baskerville told WMAR-2 News.
RELATED: Another crash less than a month after WMAR-2 News report on unsafe intersection
Once again, WMAR-2 News contacted the Baltimore City Department of Transportation and requested a specific timeline on when the intersection would be addressed, and the lamp posts replaced. That same day, DOT workers installed temporary signage converting the intersection to an all-way stop. A few weeks later, we checked back with Baskerville to see the final results.
“Since you got in touch with the city to find out what was going on, they did come out and put the four-way stop sign in but we had to have an accident there first,” she told Sofastaii.
The permanent signs are now up, the stop bars painted on the road, and both lamp posts have been replaced.
“Are you hopeful that you won't see as much property damage now?” Sofastaii asked Baskerville.
“I'm hopeful. I'm very hopeful because I've been noticing, like I said, they are stopping, but there are some that are not going to stop. I see that all over the place. So yeah, I'm very hopeful that this is a help,” she said.
On November 13, Sofastaii requested crash data for that intersection from DOT for the last two years. DOT has yet to provide that information. Baskerville is also waiting on the city to fill a hole by one of the lamp posts.
“I feel as though we live in the city, we are paying our taxes and things should be taken care of,” said Baskerville.
For now, she's relieved something was done and warns other residents to be just as adamant if they want to see change.
“If you don't contact them or try to get in touch with somebody to get some help, nothing will ever be done,” Baskerville told Sofastaii. “We really appreciate you. I do, anyway.”
Anyone with similar concerns can submit a new stop sign request through 311. DOT will then study accident and traffic data before making a decision. This process is estimated to take around 60 business days.
The Baltimore City Sheriff's Office also investigates complaints of speeding in neighborhoods. Click here to fill out their traffic safety form.