PITTSBURGH — A traffic island built around a monument in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood is frustrating residents and drivers, who say it’s too big.
Between the island and parked cars, room for traffic on Lowrie Street is limited in the area of the World War I monument.
Rich Liberto, who lives in Troy Hill, is particularly concerned that emergency vehicles won’t be able to make it to their destinations in time. He said he recently saw a firetruck struggle as it responded to a car accident.
“I saw hesitation, like they were going to come down this passageway, but there were cars parked there at 6 o’clock in the evening on a Sunday. So they went around,” Liberto said.
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A city spokesperson told Channel 11 News that the area is to code and that traffic patterns are designed to accommodate all emergency vehicles.
The city notes, however, that illegally parked cars can obstruct traffic. Even so, the public safety department said there is no record of emergency vehicles having trouble reaching destinations.
Concerned residents have started a petition with three requests for the city: Bring the island in, install speed bumps and make crosswalks stand out.
The city said it is open to community feedback and is looking to make crosswalks more visible.