Civic club calling for traffic safety improvements in Chartiers

PITTSBURGH — Neighbors and activists in Chartiers are calling on the City of Pittsburgh to make traffic safety improvements in their neighborhood.

Members of the Windgap Chartiers City Civic Club (WCCCC) contacted Channel 11 for help, saying they’ve not seen results despite fighting for changes for more than a decade.

The roadways of concern together surround an area that hundreds of children visit on a regular basis.

Residents say people drive dangerously on Chartiers Avenue, Summerdale Street and Middletown Road, which run along the Chartiers Early Childhood Center and a frequently-used football field. A playground and spray park are also set to open there later this month.

“We’re concerned that someone’s child may get hurt,” said Board Member Dr. Shamika Zyhier.

Channel 11 crews observed one driver blowing through a stop sign, another illegally passing a vehicle, and various speeders when we visited the area on Friday.

“I live here on the corner, so I see the kids a lot, I see the dangerous situations that they’re put in,” said Board Member Darlene Davis. “We just want some action.”

The WCCCC has written letters to the Mayor’s Office and other elected leaders, has phoned 311, and has been vocal at their meetings.

As the years go by, Zyhier said they’ve seen speed humps and traffic calming devices added to other surrounding neighborhoods, but they aren’t getting results on their streets.

She said that neighbors particularly want to see speed humps on Summerdale Street.

In a response letter the Mayor’s Office sent to the WCCCC in May, it was stated that The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) reviewed the streets in question.

Regarding Summerdale, the letter states “unfortunately, the data collected did not meet the threshold to be considered eligible” for interventions.

“We’re afraid that there’s something lacking in DOMI’s report,” Zyhier said. “I don’t know what algorithm they’re using, but algorithms sometimes lie.”

As for Chartiers Avenue, the city’s letter states that it did meet the threshold for traffic calming, but “it is a large corridor and would require a significant capital investment for design and implementation.”

The letter states that Middletown Road has seen traffic calming measures, like intersection improvements, but the WCCCC said those improvements happened on a stretch of the road that isn’t near the blocks of concern.

Zyhier said that the club has great relationships with their elected leaders, but they don’t feel heard.

A statement sent to Channel 11 from the Mayor’s Office reads in part “This administration has always and will always listen and respond to residents and in no way have we ignored their concerns. The Mayor and others did a walking tour with this group last summer and spoke with them about what we could do vs what we could not do. We have attended their meetings every month and given them information. Police are aware and are working on speed enforcement in that area.  We continue to explore traffic safety improvements on the Chartiers Avenue Corridor.”

Channel 11 also reached out to Council President Council President Theresa Kail Smith who said that she’s asked DOMI to see if the roads in question can receive more “immediate” help, and said that a meeting will take place on the matter soon.

Kail Smith said that she understands the civic group’s frustrations, and commended them for the great work they’ve done in the community. She said that Chartiers has a low crime rate, and the highest homeownership rate in the city, which she attributed to the WCCCC.

Meanwhile, civic club members fear that without swift action to improve road safety, something devastating could take place.

“They have got to be more proactive,” Zyhier said. “They have got to get prevention in their mind before we have a tragedy or a disaster.”

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