Mishawaka neighborhood fed up with speeders, concerned for safety

MISHAWAKA, Ind. --- Speeding concerns in Mishawaka have a neighborhood on edge.

They want drivers to slow down before someone gets hurt. The houses situated on Cedar Trail in Mishawaka see a lot of thru traffic.

On both sides are two busy streets, Day Road and McKinley, and they say speeding has been a problem for a long time.

“Cars speeding down the road going too fast, passing each other,” Jason Shumaker explained the problem he sees every day.

Some said they’ve had their mailboxes and trash cans ran over and some even said they won’t let their children play in their driveways anymore.

“It is really bad,” Haley Bodle said who also lives on Cedar Trail. “I don’t let my kids play outside very much, they would love to play on their bikes but they can’t.”

The safety of children is a big concern.

“Not even the adults the kids who are out here trying to play you know it’s scary,” Rebecca Nyerges said. “Our driveway is not very big and if the kids are playing basketball out here, they can’t get the ball, they’ll get ran over.”

It’s a problem they’ve been experiencing for years. Bodle shared pictures of a speeder that crashed through her backyard in 2017.

“Speed was definitely a factor,” Bodle recalled. “I’m scared of more accidents like in my backyard but this time it will be a little kid that gets away and darts out.”

According to neighbors, the county completed a speed study that led to more police patrolling the area for speeders. But they say that hasn’t helped much.

“Cops have always been out here pulling people over. But really this is an all-day thing,” Bodle said. “They can’t be out here all day.”

Now they are going to the county for a solution. Speed bumps are one thing they think will make a difference as well as people slowing down.

“I’m afraid someone’s going to get hurt, someone’s going to get killed you just never know,” Nyerges said.

These problems aren’t stopping when the school bus comes around either which is another huge concern with the speeders.

Nyerges said she’s had multiple scares with her son and that’s why she and others in the neighborhood are planning on calling county officials on Monday to see if changes can be made.