Some West Mifflin residents fed up with drivers hitting their vehicles

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — Residents living on a county road in West Mifflin told Channel 11 that their parked vehicles are continuously hit by drivers.

“I’ve had enough. This has to be addressed,” said Bo Palmer.

Palmer contacted Channel 11, claiming he and his neighbors are fed up with reckless driving on Greensprings Avenue.

On Monday, Ray Robinson told us that his rental vehicle was hit by a driver who fled the scene.

Robinson only had the rental vehicle because a driver struck his own car earlier in the month.

In that case, the crash was so forceful that the driver who was responsible flipped their vehicle, landing on the roof. Robinson’s vehicle was pushed toward Palmer’s house, which sustained damage by the front porch. Palmer’s vehicle was hit, too.

Palmer told Channel 11 that roughly a year before that, a driver hit and totaled a vehicle that he had just paid off.

“I am just mentally drained,” he told us. “I don’t know what to think, but I am requiring answers.”

Channel 11 contacted the Allegheny County Department of Public Works about the concerns.

Spokesman Brent Wasko told us that the county received a complaint about speeding on the roadway back in fall of 2011. At that point, traffic engineers began to study the road.

“The data we saw indicated that the road does not have an unusually high number of crashes or any significant safety issues, but we always take a proactive approach to these types of issues,” Wasko said. “So, we added or upgraded 52 signs along the road last year – mostly speed limit and advance warning-type signs.”

Wasko added “We certainly sympathize with those who have had their parked vehicles hit recently. The safety of county roads is our top priority, and we will look into this matter closely. We will obtain the crash reports for the incidents involving parked vehicles to learn more about what might have caused them. Until we are able to review those reports, we won’t know if additional signage or pavement marking changes might be helpful.”

Wasko said that the county follows PennDOT guidelines when it comes to traffic-calming device installation, and said that speed bumps, humps, and similar items are “not an option” for the roadway, due to its classification as a “minor arterial road.”

Greensprings Avenue sees about 8,000 vehicles each day on average, yet Wasko said that speed bumps and humps can only be installed on roads that see fewer than 6,500 vehicles per day on average.

Wasko added, “Please note that while the county owns and maintains the road, enforcement of the speed limit and other traffic laws is the responsibility of the local police department.”

Channel 11 did reach out to the West Mifflin Police Department for comment. At the time this article was published, we had not heard back.

Meantime, Palmer said he has also reached out to a local state representative and fears someone is going to get killed if something isn’t done.

He said that drivers too often ignore the posted 25 MPH speed limit.

The roadway was one that Channel 11 covered back in 2011 while investigating worrisome school bus stops.

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