HOUSTON – The Houston Police Department meets with neighbors in Arlington Court Wednesday night to address speed racing concerns.
The 6 p.m. meeting is at the Bayou Bend Towers on Westcott.
Neighbors told KPRC 2’s Corley Peel the intersection of Memorial and Crestwood drives is like the starting line for speed racers.
They said the loud noises from cars and bikes keep them up at night, and if something isn’t done someone could get seriously hurt.
Memorial Drive is busy most hours of the day but once the clock strikes 8:30 p.m., Christine Johnson, Arlington Court HOA president, says the street racing begins.
“After the tunnels were put in, the racing really escalated and the cars are coming out of the tunnel at pretty high rates of speed,” Johnson said. “I would say anywhere from 60 to 100 miles an hour. And the ones that are not familiar with Memorial, are forgetting that they don’t know there’s a light here and they’re flying through it. The ones that are familiar with it are stopping. But when they’re stopping and sitting here, they’re revving their engines.”
Johnson says some of the racing leads to crashes.
“We’ve been fortunate that it has not turned deadly in the last year and a half, but our fear is that it will, as it’s been escalating more and more every night now,” Johnson said.
She said crashes from speeding are already an issue on Memorial, adding racing to the mix, doesn’t make it better.
KPRC 2 obtained surveillance video that shows one car driving fast into another at the Memorial and Crestwood intersection. Another video shows damage after a car crashed into the neighborhood’s brick wall.
Johnson said this happens often and she’s hoping the city and police will recognize the dangers of street racing and speeding in the area.
“I want them to understand that the speeding here is not isolated to this half mile or quarter mile,” Johnson said. “It’s really been a problem from 610 and would way all the way into downtown. And the traffic lights aren’t really a deterrent. So we obviously need a little more presence, police presence, taking radar and paying attention to what’s happening.”
HPD told KPRC 2 during Wednesday’s night’s meeting they will be answering neighbors’ concerns about the street racing. They are also looking into their options for how they can help, including adding more visible and non-visible patrols in the area.