Speeding, revving source of worry for business owners
Over the past few months, News-Telegram staff has observed several near crashes caused by drivers that do not wait for others to clear the intersection, not moving for ambulances or funeral processions and have seen drivers almost hit pedestrians trying to cross the street.
Drivers have also been seen accelerating as soon as they pass the stop sign on the corner of Main and Gilmer Street, which poses a risk for vehicles pulling out of Tomlinson or the Tapp Funeral Home parking lot and onto Gilmer.
In the last two weeks, similar experiences have been shared by business owners, employees and even residents that live near downtown on other streets such as Connally and Davis Street.
These concerns include complaints about drivers who are accelerating their vehicles beside businesses which rattles their windows, interrupts phone calls and blocks out all other conversations.
People aren’t just shopping and eating in downtown. Some of them work in offices or live here.
While loud music is not that big of a deal normally, it may interrupt important phone calls, and customers start complaining to the business owners, asking if the music needs to be that loud. Another business shared that they have experienced times where these vehicle's engines or music are so loud that they disrupt customers visiting the store.
“Just the other day a customer was in our store when a loud truck drove by. They asked me if it happens everyday,” Sal Castro, an employee at McKay’s Band House said. “I told them that it does. There is one truck that drives by several times a day with their music turned up so loud it makes our windows rattle. Every time I hear them I want to stand outside and yell at them to turn it down.”
Another business owner shared that they have needed a window company to come re-set and seal the windows in their storefront after they had shifted inside the frame due to the vibrations from traffic.
“I’ve spoken with Officer Hawkins about this and told him that people are driving recklessly, and they need to post an officer at the church,” the business owner commented. “I’ve seen people driving the wrong direction on Tomlinson because there isn’t a oneway sign posted on the Two Twin Engines side. If the driver is a tourist, or new to town, they wouldn’t know that that’s a one way street. One of my customers was ticketed right there because she was from out of town.”
The buildings in downtown are revitalized but still old. The windows are single-paned, and they’re not insulated like newer homes or businesses. When someone drives by with their music and bass turned up too high and then sit at one of the stop signs on the corner, it bounces off the brick walls, and it feels like sitting at a rock concert.
Business owners have also expressed that it is a safety risk for pedestrian traffic crossing Gilmer. Young children play in the splash pad, and people dining outside at Los Mochis could be injured one day if a serious accident ever occurred at the intersection.
In regards to the safety concerns, these business owners believe that pedestrians are at risk of being hit while trying to cross the street or that their vehicles will be struck while entering or exiting the parking lot.
“It’s not just a noise issue, it’s also a safety concern,” one business owner said. “These guys are coming around that corner and getting through the stop sign and accelerating. Their speeding is causing an issue for people, especially children, trying to walk across the street or drivers trying to park.”
Dave Shabaz, publisher of the Sulphur Springs News-Telegram said, “I don't want this to be one of those situations where someone has to get hit by a speeding vehicle and die before something is done about it. I've spoken with the Mayor and the City Manager and we are all on the same page. My older daughter was hit by a truck while walking a couple of years ago while in nursing school in North Carolina. She sustained serious injuries, but thank God she survived and is an RN today. I don't want another parent or family member to ever feel what I felt when that happened to her.”
When asked for feedback, Sulphur Springs City Manager Marc Maxwell shared that the city plans to step up the law enforcement presence around Downtown.
Solutions proposed by these business owners were rumble strips similar to those in front of the Ag Science Building in Commerce, a crosswalk with flashing lights like the one in front of the Post Office, more patrol officers and a speed limit sign closer to Downtown.