DALLAS, Ga. — A family is concerned for their safety after they say an increase in speeding vehicles has happened in their neighborhood.
Annmarie Burnette and her daughter Tori Barrett got even more concerned after Aug. 6 when Tori took a video of her and her 13-year-old Bella trying to cross the street to go to Herschel Jones Middle School.
They reached out to 11Alive for help, saying drivers are ignoring the crosswalk at 300 Confederate Avenue close to their home and putting children in danger.
"They go by here so fast that it like shakes our whole house. We can feel it from inside, and that's big trucks, not to mention the cars," Barrett said.
Tori said she noticed how dangerous the crosswalk has become because her daughter can't take a bus to school. They live so close that Bella's only option is to walk.
"I walk with her in the morning and afternoon because I don't feel safe with her walking alone," Barrett said.
It's become more and more dangerous over time, and the fading crosswalk isn't being followed. When Tori took the video of their own experience last week, no cars stopped. They had to dodge them to get across.
"The only reason I do walk past and am able to walk past is because mom's there. It's scary," Bella said.
Not only is it scary that drivers don't stop, but it also makes the family angry. That's why Tori and her mother reached out not just to the city, but Dallas Police and the Georgia Department of Transportation, too.
"Four years! It's been four years that I've been trying to get some action taken," Burnette said.
The grandmother has sent letters and met with leaders in person after documenting people going over the speed limit and crashing.
"I keep being told because it's a state road, they don't want to do anything that would impede traffic flow," Burnette said.
The crosswalk is about a two-to-three-minute walk from them every single day. Right now there are some small signs on each side. The city and police chief have notified them in addition to stepping up patrols, they're also installing lighted crosswalk signs.
In a statement sent to 11Alive, Steve Kish, the Assistant Chief of Dallas Police in charge of patrols, said the growth over the past few years has contributed to the traffic.
"With this growth comes more traffic, and with more traffic comes more traffic violations. This area of the city is a major artery from north Paulding County, so there is a significant amount of traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hours. We have directed our patrol to increase their enforcement actions in this area to help mitigate these issues. We have reached out to the Georgia State Patrol to help with these enforcement actions. The city has secured lighted crosswalk signs to install at the crosswalks on Confederate Avenue to bring better attention to drivers about possible pedestrian traffic. Hopefully, these efforts will help better control the traffic in this area."
While the family hopes they follow through, they say the other option proposed is to make the area a school zone.
"I'll believe that when I see it," Burnette said.
The lighted crosswalk signs are expected to be up within a month or so. The family also wants to see tickets written for those who are speeding. Dallas Police says officers can't because the road is a state road. We reached out to the Georgia Department of Transportation to see if troopers would be stepping up patrols and are still waiting to hear back.