VILLAGE OF EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Neighbors in East Aurora are thrilled to have fresh pavement on Pine Street and visitors in the village. But because of a problem with speeding, they're bracing for the worst.
"Everybody's frustrated, everybody's scared to death someone's gonna get killed," said one neighbor at a town hall meeting.
Dozens came to Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo's meeting since Pine Street is a County Road to share concerns and ask questions.
Watch:'It's very unsafe': Neighbors in East Aurora calling on Erie County to make Pine Street safer
"What we have is people racing down a county road, around a turn, and then gunning it so that they can get into the village before the traffic signal turns red," said Suzanne Webster, who lives on Pine.
And it's not just the speeding issue.
"There's no place for anybody to cross, it's very unsafe," said Joanne Ryan, one of the neighbors spearheading calls for change. "We would like a stop sign for people to cross."
She says with new houses being built, the DPW, the ice rink, pickleball, shops, and more all nearby, it all becomes a hazard.
Changes can be made if New York State does a traffic study. There was a study done last December after a 79-year-old woman was hit and killed at Pine and Main.
But Ryan says studying traffic in December is not an accurate representation of the busy village.
"Who's riding their bicycle when it's snowing out?" asked Ryan.
So they're pushing for this study to happen next spring.
"The state will either say yes, we need to do something, or no, that doesn't warrant it," said Lorigo. Everyone wants a safer East Aurora, it's just a matter of getting there."
Lorigo says she'll continue to have conversations with the county DPW about this until that study is done.
Join the Southtowns Community News Facebook group to connect with neighbors and learn about what's happening in your community.
