HARTFORD, Wis. — A Hartford family says a dangerous curve in the road is putting their safety at risk.
Stacey Munson and her family moved into a Hartford neighborhood a few years ago. They found a bigger home along Monroe Ave. for their family of five to grow into and a backyard that has plenty of room for the kids to run and play.
But they had no idea it would become a landing zone for drivers flying off the road.
“He got airborne, bottomed out, hit our deck here, and then drove into our master bedroom there,” Stacey said.
About a year ago, the Munsons were getting ready for bed when a car smashed their porch into pieces and crashed through the wall of a bedroom where their baby was sleeping.
“There was debris in the crib,” Stacey said. “It just could have been so much worse if he hit our room straight on. We were lucky he hit the deck first.”
The Munsons hoped it was an isolated incident but then came a second and a third vehicle tearing through their backyard in the following months.
Stacey says the problem is a county road surrounded by farmland quickly curves into her neighborhood, going from 45 to 25 m.p.h. in the blink of an eye.
“Not everyone sees the bend coming,” she said. “The lighting is quite low. There’s not a lot of signage posted.”
The Munsons not only feared for their safety but for drivers as well so they contacted city leaders to request changes.
“They're absolutely being heard,” said Hartford City Administrator Steve Volkert.
Administrator Volkert says the city responded by installing additional signage. One warns of the decreased speed ahead. Additionally, a radar speed was placed right before the bend on Pond Road to show drivers how fast they were going.
“We don’t want anyone to be fearful of their backyard,” Administrator Volkert said.
The City of Hartford says the radar speed sign doesn’t just show drivers their speed. It collects data that’s sent to the police department.
Hartford police data shows 59 percent of drivers over the past three months went around the curve over the speed limit. Hartford police records show 41 percent of drivers were going at least 5 m.p.h. over the limit. The highest speed captured by the radar speed sign was twice the speed limit at 50 m.p.h., according to the police department.
The Munsons hoped the additional signage would help solve the issue, but Stacey says two vehicles tore through her yard after the signs were installed.
“What do you think is the solution here?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
“I think that if they put a three-way stop there, it would create less people coming into our neighborhood fast,” Stacey said.
Administrator Volkert says that response would be too extreme for the amount of traffic on Pond Road.
“If they feel there’s a potential it could happen, then if it was me, I’d look at other options like including putting boulders in there, putting, bushes, trees in the corner,” he said.
“We have trees and then we have rocks,” Stacey said.
The Munsons installed the barriers the city recommended, but they feel in order for Hartford to truly meet them halfway, more needs to be done to make them feel safe in their own home.
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