A Near Miss | An Update

Jan 11

Written By Sierah Barnhart, Beautification Chair

Update February 1, 2024

The signs have been installed! Thanks City of Fort Wayne!

Update: January 15, 2024

The City of Fort Wayne’s Street Department has approved this request. To install the signage, utilities must be located and the ground must be workable so it will take some time.

Thank you to all of the residents who helped support this effort!

Update: January 14, 2024

Tire tracks can be seen hitting the north end, overcorrecting and hitting the south end.

Update: January 11, 2024

This letter was sent to the City of Fort Wayne’s Street Department by the Board of Directors on January 11, 2024.

UPDATE: April 12, 2023

The park strip was hit again.

In the distance you can see the tire marks from January 2023 incident, the more prominent set is new.

Original Article Published January 2023

Reckless drivers have repeatedly marred the Arlington Ave park strip over the years. However, the two most recent incidents highlight our efforts to plant and maintain our tree canopy and the unintended role they play in our neighborhood. Most recently, a sedan traveling at a high rate of speed hit the park strip head-on followed by an overcorrection by the driver.

Instead of the car landing in one of our neighbor’s living rooms, the car was stopped by a mature street tree. Smoking and leaking oil, the car fled the scene leaving a mess behind and roused no less than a dozen neighbors. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last that happens. Last October, another vehicle struck the park strip from the opposite end leaving behind a variety of car parts and damage.

While the Board of Directors works on some solution for this park strip, including infill street tree plantings, you can help our traffic calming efforts by making sure that you and your neighbors have signed our speed reduction petition and by monitoring your own speed while traveling through the neighborhood.

Stay safe neighbors!