Residents along south Charlotte want help to deter street racing

CHARLOTTE — Residents who live along Archdale Drive in south Charlotte are fed up with street racing, speeding and reckless driving.

“All of the day,” resident TJ Kolleh said. “All hours of the day.”

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Kolleh told Channel 9 anchor Genevieve Curtis that residents often hear cars’ engines that treat the road like a racetrack.

Kolleh and his neighbors are concerned about safety, in addition to the ongoing disturbances.

He has seen seven crashes into neighbors’ properties over nine years.

“It’s very risky,” Kolleh said. “Kids ride their bikes up and down the street.”

Homeowner Kathryn Pruitt has watched cars crash into her retaining wall four times in 2 1/2 years.

“Either someone is going to get severely hurt or killed,” Pruitt said.

The city won’t cover the costs, including the last time it happened two weeks ago.

Pruitt said she is constantly on edge and is worried someone will crash into her home.

Curtis was interviewing Pruitt Friday night when a car sped down the hill crossing the center line.

“Does it make you think you think about moving?” Curtis asked.

“Absolutely, it does!” Pruitt said.

Pruitt said her and other residents have asked Charlotte-Mecklenburg police to step up patrols in the area, but the residents said they have not seen that happen.

“Every once in a while, I will see law enforcement in the church parking lots,” Pruitt said. “But I’ve never seen them pull someone over on Archdale.”

Pruitt has also asked city leaders to add speed bumps or a stop sign. However, she was told Archdale Drive is an emergency road and those safety measures would slow down first responders.

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Residents in the area said they will continue to try to find a way to keep their neighborhood safe from cars racing along the road.

(Watch the video below: Newly released 911 calls give clearer picture of street racing crash that killed 6-year-old boy)

Newly released 911 calls give clearer picture of street racing crash that killed 6-year-old boy

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