Folks living along South Chelton Road, on the southeast side of Colorado Springs, find themselves wishing motorists driving by would stay in their lane. Or any lane. Just on the dang road!
For years, cars have managed to lose control, fly off Chelton and into the backyards of neighbors. Especially folks on Younger Court in Spring Lane at Valley Hi neighborhood. Maybe Chelton should be renamed Spring Lane the way cars launch themselves airborne off the road.
Folks along Chelton have installed huge boulders to create a sort of nature’s guardrail to discourage off-road travel. But it hasn’t stopped the mayhem, smashed fences, destroyed sheds, ruined decks and more.
Here is a look at the neighborhood and some of the aftermath of wrecks there the past eight years. Below is Bill Miera’s house on the right. He’s had six cars in his yard in the past eight years.
This is a view of Chelton, looking south and uphill toward Fountain Boulevard. Motorists regularly loose control on the curve and go crashing into the fence on the left.
Below is a view looking north, toward Spring Creek and Valley Hi Golf Course, at the boulders lined up along Chelton in hopes of keeps cars on the road.
The latest wreck, on Nov. 1, caused typical havoc in the yards, smashing a brick column and crushing a shed in Miera’s yard. Here’s a photo Bill Miera took immedately after the wreck.
This photo was taken by neighbor Elke Dickinson.
Weeks later, shards of fence board remains scattered near the sidewalk.
In the next photo, Miera’s house is on the right. On the left, the elevated deck of Shelley Danielson is visible. It had to be rebuilt after an October 2001 wreck destoyed the deck and hot tub, just minutes after she stepped out of it.
Here are more of neighbor Elke Dickinson’s photos of the aftermath of the 2001 wreck:
Here are maps of the neighborhood from FlashEarth.com.
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This definitly reminds me of the Flintridge Dr. situation. I don’t recall if an adaquat solution was ever found, but I know that there are larger boulders, and a speed feedback sign on Flintridge. I have not visited the Chelton location, but I assume there must be a yellow diamond hazard sign with an advisory limit for the curve. What we really need is some driver education for ALL ages. Its a travesty that a person can hop in a car, drive around the block twice go in and pick up a licence. I know several situations where this happened. We really ought to be more selective about who we licence, and what kind of training they recieve prior to licencing. Teen drivers are the media’s usual scapegoat, but they sure aren’t the only ones causing accidents.