Neighbors take action to help stop speeders
By Sarah Krebs
Staff Reporter

Tanglewood Neighborhood Association representatives say they plan to put rumble stones on the hill at Bellaire Drive South and Bellaire Drive West to prevent speeding after gaining permission to do so from the city.

Jo Ann Henk, a Tanglewood Neighborhood Association board member and captain of the Citizens on Patrol, said speeding has been a constant issue.

“We had a board that tells you how fast you are going, but that was about six months ago,” Henk said. “Basically all (the police) can do is sit at the bottom of the hill and watch them speed.”

The Fort Worth Police department receives one to two complaints a month about speeding problems during any given semester and the reaction to the call depends on the seriousness of the complaint, Fort Worth neighborhood police officer Jamie Johnson said.

“Some officers are tasked with going to the location and running radar and giving tickets,” Johnson said. “Sometimes we do a day, and sometimes we do a span of a few weeks.”

Johnson said the last occasion he ran radar on West Berry Street, he pulled over six cars, four of which were driven by students. The time before that he pulled over four cars on Forest Park Boulevard, none of which were driven by students, he said.

“I wouldn’t say there is more speeding here than in other places in town,” Johnson said. “There are probably more complaints around TCU but not necessarily more speeding.”
Margaret Staggs, a junior secondary education major, said she got a ticket on Berry Street and Bellaire Drive.

“I was speeding and definitely deserved a ticket,” Staggs said. “I was surprised that the people call and complain because it isn’t like there are any houses on that part of the street.”

Staggs said she thinks it’s good that people call to complain but that there are probably more complaints because of the proximity of the university.

Johnson said the “hot places” are Forest Park Boulevard, West Berry Street, Bellaire Drive and the area of University Drive from the Trinity River to TCU.

Steven Stancukas, a sophomore premajor, said he got a speeding ticket on Bellaire Drive.

“People around here might not drive crazy, but they might drive fast,” Stancukas said. “People complain because they are uncomfortable driving near speeders.”

Stancukas said he also attributed the complaints to the general assumption that a lot of college students drink and drive.

TCU Police Assistant Chief J. C. Williams said although TCU Police receive complaints about speeding, they can’t write speeding tickets and therefore pass the complaints on to the Fort Worth Police.

Sarah Krebs