PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Residents living near Jessica Clinton Community Park in Port St. Lucie are raising concerns about speeding vehicles on surrounding streets, calling for traffic calming measures to protect families and children in the area.
Timothy Agius, who lives near the park on SE Navy Avenue, said he loves the location because his daughter enjoys playing there. However, he's concerned about the speeding he witnesses on streets around the park, including Southbend Boulevard, Navy Avenue, Pinto Street and Ines Avenue.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Tyler Hatfield speaks to concerned residents
"We think about it a lot," Agius said. "It's been pretty bad."
The speeding creates noise issues during morning and nighttime hours, affecting his family's sleep, Agius said.
"It's loud, real loud," Agius said. "I got a sleeping daughter, I got a wife too who's sleeping at night. She works in the mornings."
Port St. Lucie Police installed a speed trailer on SE Navy Avenue, but neighbor Kim Jekyll said while it helps somewhat, it's not a permanent solution.
"I'm sometimes worried to even walk close to the road, because you don't know how fast some of these people are going," Jekyll said. "I don't think it would do anything in the long run for the people who do speed down here a lot."
Residents are requesting traffic calming measures such as speed tables and speed bumps on the affected streets.
City staff said crews installed a raised intersection at Southbend Boulevard to help calm traffic. The community can also start a petition for a traffic calming study.
To get traffic calming measures on other streets, the city requires 50% of residents along the street to sign a petition for a traffic calming study. Currently, the city has not received any such petitions.
Jekyll said a solution is needed quickly to prevent potential accidents.
"Everybody is always like, 'you don't want to wait until it's too late and something happens,'" Jekyll said. "Something bad could happen. And then they're like, 'why didn't you do anything beforehand?'"
The concerns come after WPTV recently reported on a family's dog that was recovering after being hit by what they said was a speeding car in Port St. Lucie.
