Speeding drivers on private road cause safety concerns for parents

DENVER, N.C. — Unless she’s holding her kids, Julie Fay won’t let them play in their own front yard.

"I've got four children and everyone in this neighborhood has kids and our kids can't even play out here,” she said.

Fay told Channel 9 that hundreds of drivers speed past her home on Natalie Commons Drive every week, running stop signs.

“They’re going 40, 50, 60 miles an hour through here,” Fay said. “Sometimes even faster.”

Natalie Commons Drive is a private road in a residential area, but it’s appealing to drivers because it’s a shortcut between two busy roads -- NC-16 and NC-16 Business.

“It’s dangerous, and there’s just so much traffic, it’s unreal,” Fay said. “Lincoln County could fund their department writing speeding tickets on this road.”

The Lincoln County Sheriff said deputies can’t enforce the 15 mile-per-hour speed limit because the road isn’t regulated by state law. Deputies can, however, cite people for reckless driving.

Neighborhood residents said the Homeowners Association has resisted adding speed bumps and gates.

Channel 9 contacted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to ask about the process for turning the road into a state road. NCDOT replied with a statement that said:

“The property owners, Homeowners Association, or the developer can petition the NCDOT, via the District office for that area, by submitting a Petition for Addition. An investigation by that office will pursue and determine if the roadway meets all requirements to be added to the State System for Maintenance. This is not mandatory, but at the discretion of the property owners, Homeowners Association, or developer.”

For now, Fay is urging drivers to think of families in the neighborhood.

"If you're cutting through, stop and slow down," Fay said. "Respect our children."

Cox Media Group