COLUMBUS, Ohio — Allison Williams lives down the street from the crosswalk where a young child and an adult were hit while trick or treating.
She provided 10TV e-mails voicing her concerns to the city and police department dating back to 2019. At one point there was an in-person meeting.
“It was a matter of time before something terrible happened,” she said. “And we've brought that to the mayor's office, to the community council, to the police, and we've gotten nowhere.”
The city says still the best place to make a request for service is by utilizing the 311 system because that's how they can best track reports and their progress.
Another option is marking locations where safety improvements are needed as part of Vision Zero Columbus.
“It's never worked. It's never worked for anything,” said Williams. “We've tried multiple times, neighbors have called, we don't get a response.”
According to the Columbus Police Division of Traffic Management, they have not received 311 traffic-related concerns about this crossing.
Once a 311 request is submitted, the city says the 311 Service Center refers it to the appropriate city department to investigate.
A spokesperson for the mayor provided 10TV the following statement:
"We grieve with the family and friends mourning the tragic loss of life of a precious 4-year old girl. While the facts of the accident are still being investigated, and it remains unclear what circumstances may have contributed to this tragedy, the City will seek to understand whether additional traffic controls beyond the cross walk and flashing lights already in place could have helped prevent this terrible accident. While not all accidents are preventable, the City has been and remains committed to doing what we can to eliminate pedestrian and traffic related fatalities."
“The city needs to do something now before somebody else loses a life,” said Williams.
When it comes to traffic signals the city says that's governed by federal criteria that require the city to consider several factors. They say in some locations a traffic signal might not be the best solution.
In an e-mail to 10TV, Debbie Briner, a public relations specialist with the city wrote, “Traffic signals are not appropriate traffic control devices for all locations and can create unsafe conditions, and even increase crashes, if not used correctly.”