The Houston Police Department Kingwood Patrol division is watching closely for motorists speeding along Kings Crossing Drive, which cuts through the residential area east of the intersection of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway.
Officer E.F. McKelroy, who heads the Kingwood Traffic Division, said Kings Crossing Drive has been a hot spot for speed violations, and in August became the target of a special speeding task force. Though the task force crack down has ceased, officers are still keeping a close watch on the roadway.
During the crackdown, more than 150 speeding tickets were issued over a two-week period. The measure came in response to the concerns of nearby residents, including those living at the Westminster House retirement community and members of the the Lake Houston Community Association.
McKelroy said complaints about speeding in the area have since dropped dramatically but still haven't tapered off completely. He said locals trying to avoid the busy intersection of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway continue to try to take the Kings Crossing Drive shortcut – though doing so at their own risk.
“We go out there pretty often now and check on it,” McKelroy said. “We haven't alleviated the problem, but we've seen a great reduction in speeding along that roadway because people have seen us out there.”
Houston City Councilman Mike Sullivan announced in September that right turn lanes have been approved for all directions at the Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway intersection, which could also help to minimize the speeding concerns along Kings Crossing Drive.
“People cut through there to avoid that light at Kingwood Drive, so adding the turn lanes will help make that intersection easier to navigate, and less people will feel the need to cut through at Kings Crossing Drive,” McKelroy said.
Motorists should be vigilant from now through the construction of those turn lanes, as officers will be out in force to make sure residents along Kings Crossing Drive aren't endangered by speeding drivers looking for a shortcut.
Rushed drivers should remember that getting a moving violation will not only cost them extra time, but a ticket.
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needed infrastructure improvements to save lifes
People killed on nation highways almost 60 percent—died in crashes caused when their vehicles veered from the lane. Vehicle left the roadway to roll over or impact one or more natural or man-made objects, such as trees, utility poles, bridge walls, embankments, or guardrails. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), by resolution of their Board of Directors in October 2007, embarked on a plan to cut fatalities an immediate impact on fatal and injury crash reduction through low-cost, quick implementation, highway and heavily traveled streets infrastructure improvements and further still, by focusing a concerted effort on lane-departure crashes, which are such a substantial portion of all fatal crashes.
tfeagins
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