CHINA SPRING, TX — China Spring has seen a boom in population over the last few years. That growth has also lead to an increase in traffic and speeders.
Now China Spring residents are taking action to keep their children safe from speeding cars.
“I think that's what some people from China Spring don't realize is it's not small town China Spring anymore. It's growing, and we're gonna face issues," sad Whitney Bushing, who has been concerned about the amount of people speeding in her neighborhood.
China Spring Road is busy four-lane highway. Now cars are bringing those speeds into connecting residential roads like Granada Drive.
"I go for a run or take my dogs out for a walk just about every day, and I know there's a bunch of neighborhood kids that ride their bikes around. I've noticed as soon as people turn off the road, off China Spring Highway, they gun it. I mean they're going upwards of 50 miles per hour down this road," Bushing explained.
Growing up, Bushing says two of her cousins were hit by cars while they were in their neighborhood. One of them lost their life in the crash.
Bushing is now pushing for change so children in her neighborhood don't suffer the same fate.
"I know a lot of people, they're like, 'Well, we have places to be, people to see and everything,'" she said. "I would just say leave your house a minute earlier to really make sure that you're not putting other people's lives in danger."
Driving down Granada Drive, there are no posted speed limit signs to slow down drivers. So Bushing took to Facebook to find supporters for a petition that would ask the City of Waco to install speed bumps throughout the road.
"The safety of children is number one for most neighborhoods, and we don't want to see any tragedies happen," said Michael Larsen, vice president for the China Spring Neighborhood Association.
Larsen says speed bumps come with cons, as they can slow down response time for first responders. Instead, he's encouraging better speed signage or warning signs so drivers can be more aware.
"There are a lot of streets in China Spring that need some control, need some changes, and that's just the function of the huge growth we've seen here in China Spring recently," Larsen continued.
While 25 News was investigating this story, Larsen contacted Jim Holmes, Waco District 5 Councilmember, who then sent email to city departments.
As a result, Larsen says he has seen a Waco Police Department traffic officer observing the street.
He says the traffic unit will be surveying the area to determine what enforcement will be put in place.
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