A resident on Crossmoor Lane told me about continuing severe problems with speeders on his street. Cut-through traffic from Herr Lane gets up to 50 mph by the time it arrives at Girard, often not making a stop there.

The problem has gotten so bad that, not only are the people who are living along the street complaining to each other, but one resident decided to move out of the city -- even though the family had only lived there a year and a half. They considered the speeding traffic to be a very dangerous situation for their young children.

The problem seems to be the worst when Ballard dismisses its students: around 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. It actually is more frequent.

Residents suggested renting an electronic speed sign ... parking a marked police vehicle midway on the street.

In the past, the Graymoor-Devondale police have offered to park an unmarked car to catch speeders. Chief Renzi said that he is going to work on the problem.

...and More Speeders

It happens on Dartmoor, too, at any time on any day. While I can't limit it to high school dismissal times, the couple of drivers that I see regularly look high school age. It seems that they floor it at Heer Lane and don't let up until they are forced to slow at Girard. Sometimes reappearing moments later going back toward Herr in the same drag race mode. It makes me angry for my family's safety, but we're only in danger for a few split seconds as they speed by. But smashing into a big tree at expressway speeds in a small car can happen on any neighborhood street in broad daylight just as easily as on some curvy stretch of 22 on a Saturday night. In the blink of an eye a life can be changed forever, or lost. As a parent, I still worry for my 20-something child out on the roads. They're basically inexperienced drivers doing everything but focusing on driving.

I'll climb down off my soapbox now. I would like the kids to get caught so that perhaps they'll get the message and decide to be safer behind the wheel. Fat chance, I know. Sometimes I forget what it was like to be indestructable.