AURORA — Residents who live near Columbia Drive and Dartmouth Avenue in Aurora say speeding in their neighborhood has reached a dangerous level.
The most recent incident happened on Sunday night when a driver crashed into Steve Robbins' home, damaging three cars and two boats on his property.
"I was awake in the house and thought maybe a lightning bolt had struck very close," Robbins recalled. "I've got two boats and three vehicles that were impacted this time."
This is not the first time Denver7 has spoken with Robbins. Last November, an Aurora police officer crashed into Robbins's fence and camper during a high-speed chase.
At the time, Robbins urged the city to fix the dip in their street and add more signage and speed bumps. Robbins said he's still dealing with the same problem one year later.
"Last time it was my camper," he said. "This time, pretty much it's everything I own."
Robbins said he's lived in the home since 1973 and has seen over a dozen incidents. Across the street, neighbor Joseph Wolpow said the crashes are getting worse.
"Everyone seems to speed on the street. They don't mind the stop sign. They don't mind the fact there's kids here," Wolpow said.
Wolpow said a driver hit his truck a few years ago.
"That was a street racing incident, and he came through here. He bounced off the curb and then landed in the back of my truck and bent the bumper," he said.
Wolpow claims the City of Aurora has not been responsive.
"We can't seem to get any help from the city. We can't get any enforcement. We can't get anything. And we keep having incident after incident after incident," he said.
Wolpow and Robbins are urging city officials to take action to slow down drivers. The neighbors believe guard rails, speed bumps, four-way stop signs and signage for drivers would greatly improve the situation.
"City of Aurora, please listen to our neighborhood and do something about this," Robbins said. "It's just too much."
Sunday's crash is still under investigation by the Aurora Police Department. The department said alcohol may be a factor but are still looking into the incident.
According to Aurora Police, Sunday's crash is still under investigation. APD said alcohol is being looked at as a possible factor but added that it has not been confirmed.
The driver involved in the crash was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, according to APD.
In a statement, spokesperson Ryan Luby said the City of Aurora is expediting the claim for the incident from last November.
Luby said an Aug. 2023 study of the area determined it did not qualify for traffic calming measures. However, areas with more traffic and higher average speeds are traditionally prioritized under the city's annual program prioritization process. Luby said the area is being "actively considered and weighted against other projects for 2025 installation."
Full statement:
First, we sympathize with the homeowner and can appreciate how frustrated they must be given the totality of circumstances.
There are two elements to the situation we want to address – 1.) the incident in Nov. 2023, and 2.) the traffic concerns in the neighborhood.
Stephen Robbins filed the attached claim with the city in Jan. 2024 in follow up to the Nov. 2023 incident. The claim remains open. We are working on expediting next steps given how much time has elapsed since the claim was filed. We will, in part, seek documentation from the homeowner that precisely accounts for damage and repair costs beyond their initial estimate. Such documentation is necessary to resolve a claim.
We remain aware of the request for traffic calming measures in the homeowner’s area, particularly in light of the incident that reportedly occurred last night, Nov. 3. The city of Aurora Traffic Engineering staff received an application to the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP) in Aug. 2023. Staff processed the application and collected speed and traffic volume data for the sections of Dartmouth Avenue and Columbia Drive that were noted in the application. During the study, prevailing speeds were found to be 30-32 mph or below, with a daily traffic volume of approximately 650 vehicles per day. While the traffic volume is an expected amount for a local road, the observed speeds met the criteria for consideration of traffic calming installations through the annual program prioritization process. To prioritize projects within the funds allowed, city staff evaluate each application against traffic and roadway characteristics for each road. As a result of the prioritization process, the project was not able to be prioritized over other roadways for 2024 installation. However, the application is still being actively considered and weighted against other projects for 2025 installation.
Again, thank you for following up and bringing the renewed concerns to our attention so we can address them appropriately.
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