I’d like to draw our community’s attention to a growing issue in Walton regarding the traffic on Stockton Avenue. On Oct. 9, there was an evening accident in which one vehicle failed to yield to another on the straightaway between the high school and Maple Street, resulting in one vehicle being sideswiped. The person who failed to yield proceeded to drive off, never stopping. Accidents like this are becoming a regular occurrence, but the greater issue is that they are occurring in a residential area where children are outside playing.
In this incident, my son and his friend were on the sidewalk out front of our home and were fortunately shielded from flying debris (of which there was much) by a parked vehicle. This isn’t the first time that reckless drivers have put neighborhood children at risk.
There are the drivers who fail to observe the 30 mph speed limit sometimes 20 miles in excess (unfortunately, there is no school-zone speed reduction on Stockton Avenue), and drivers who decide that it’s a good decision to PASS another car in a 30 mph zone on a double line, and drivers who FAIL to yield to children attempting to cross the street to and from school.
As a community, our children are our most precious resources, and daily, on Stockton Avenue, children are endangered by reckless drivers without ever getting in a vehicle. We have to do better as a community! I don’t know what exactly this looks like, but it starts with drivers making better decisions.
Jessica White
And all residents of Stockton Avenue, Walton
Addendum to my own original letter, written by my son:
I live on Stockton Avenue with my siblings, mother, and father. We witnessed a car accident on Stockton and have realized that how people drive on Stockton is horrible. I feel there must be something done to keep the people on Stockton safe and out of harm’s way.
James White, 12
Walton
