The first of three women to express concern for the safety of neighborhood children spoke at a recent City Council meeting, describing 660 West as a road without posted speed limits that has the appearance of a frontage road. The street, which begins at 400 North and ends at 1000 North, runs parallel to I-15 and is a thoroughfare for cars exiting the freeway at 400 North. Drivers executing the sharp turn beneath the 400 North overpass have no visibility of oncoming traffic or pedestrians on the road which does not have sidewalks. 

As one of two entrances to the drop-off zone at West Bountiful Elementary, cars either cross paths or must merge with pedestrians, runners and the occasional cyclists in the bike lane at the narrow intersection of 400 North and 660 West. Residential streets have a speed limit of 25 mph unless otherwise posted, yet drivers travel as if the speed limit is comparable to that of the frontage road that connects Pages Lane to Parrish Lane just east of I-15 which has posted speed limits of 30-50 MPH.   

The following week, as final approval for a small development on the corner of 1000 North and 550 West was being discussed at the Planning Commission meeting, two neighbors of the property used the public comment period to voice their opinions over ongoing safety issues as well as the impact the new development will have on an already hazardous corner.  

Anyone who is familiar with the area will describe a severely neglected property with an abundance of feral cats roaming the parcel, “visiting” neighboring yards and darting in and out of traffic. Trees that have fallen over time litter the property as well as wild shrubs and trees growing through the chain-link fence that borders the yard. Any improvement to the eyesore would seem a welcome change, but not without a few concessions made to the neighbors whose children play in nearby yards and would certainly be found on the sidewalks, if sidewalks existed continuously on 550 West and the eastern sections of 1000 North, particularly the blind corner at the intersection of these two roads.

The homeowner immediately west of the proposed development explained that many of the homes in the neighborhood have been sold to families with young children, and while she would be happy to see the property improved from its current condition, the three homes on that property would create three additional driveways with cars attempting to leave their properties as other cars made the bend coming from either direction.  

The final comments came from the mother of three young children. She described situations where she had to dodge oncoming cars as she pushed a stroller near the corner, and while a sidewalk would not eliminate the issue, it would give a better buffer and a visual boundary for drivers. She stated that she does not allow her children to play on the northern portion of their yard due to the cars that have careened into the fence across the street from her. 

With grazing horses in a pasture and I-15 traffic in the line of sight as drivers negotiate the blind corner, they often travel as if they are still on the frontage road that connects the Centerville I-15 exit with the 400 North exit. She said a complacent or careless driver may forget altogether that they are actually in the middle of a residential neighborhood. A poorly timed gaze at the pastures, trains, and traffic of I-15 can create a dangerous situation where the corner is reached without the car having the necessary time to slow to the posted 15 MPH speed limit necessary to safely negotiate the blind corner just ahead. Often it is too late and the vehicle cannot make the turn, causing it to crash into the fence of the yard on the south end of 550 West. There are caution arrows posted on the chain link fence that borders the pasture on the east side of the road.  

Children are walking to and from West Bountiful Elementary on both 550 West and 660 West during peak traffic times, which leaves them in a dangerous situation as they must walk on the shoulder of the road. A speeding driver rounding the corner may easily come upon children walking in the road or on the edge of the shoulder.  Wet or icy conditions can make it that much more difficult for a car to maintain control. These same weather conditions also make the asphalt a more desirable walking surface than the wet, icy or muddy shoulder of the road.

When asked if sidewalks were a possibility in the future, both the city council and the planning commission were told by Public Works Director Steve Maughan that sidewalks in that area were scheduled but it could be 18 months or longer before the project would be started. Speed limit signs were then requested in order to remind drivers that they were not on a frontage. There is a 25 MPH speed limit sign at each entrance to 550 West. There is also a 25 MPH speed limit sign after rounding the blind corner and traveling westbound on 1000 North but at the time of this writing, it has been bent at the base and is laying down on the ground, possibly from the scenarios described by the concerned neighbors. 

Members of the planning commission expressed hope that the development would improve visibility on the corner but would depend on the size of the homes and the setbacks.  Final approval for the development was not given during the April 13 meeting as not all conditions for approval were met.