16th Avenue ‘Drag Strip’ Takes Heavy Toll On Residents

It was 4:30 a.m. when Tim Re felt the familiar nudge.

His dog, Apollo, was eager for their morning walk. Wearing a blue scarf, the lanky Doberman trotted happily out the front door.

Two minutes later, the dog was dead. Re watched as the pickup truck that killed his pet, and almost hit him, sped away.

Two weeks later, the 38-year-old Valley man continues to search for that dark, older model pickup.

Family and friends have offered a $500 reward for information that leads to the identification of the driver who killed the 7-year-old purebred dog.

But the traffic problems in Re’s neighborhood go far beyond a single reckless driver. Here, on 16th Avenue near University Road, parents refuse to let their children walk alone to the school one block away. Neighbors watch as cars race up the hill, right after passing University Elementary School. Some have moved away because of the traffic problem.

Traffic increased even more when construction closed many nearby streets earlier this year, said Principal Phyllis Betts. Most drivers, she said, have been good about slowing down right in front of the school. But some are careless.

Teenagers sometimes race past the school from University Road.

“It’s a drag strip,” said Larry Gants, who runs a computer hardware and software business out of his home. “I’m running out and waving my hands and screaming at them.”

And still, the cars don’t slow down.

Neighbors have worked to install school signs and crosswalks. They’ve borrowed radar reader boards from the Sheriff’s Department and reported the license plate numbers of speeders. They’re not sure what to try next.

“It’s a school zone,” said LaTosha Clark, who moved her family out of the neighborhood last week, in part because of the traffic. “And someone’s going to get hurt.”

Re said his Doberman was hit while walking on the gravel shoulder of 16th Avenue. The dog wasn’t wearing a leash, but Re insists the animal was not on the road.

“He was well-trained,” Re said. “He was walking right next to me.”

The pickup, Re said, came from behind and wandered onto the shoulder. Re jumped into the bushes, but Apollo was hit. The impact threw the 100-pound animal about 50 feet.

“I tried to give him mouth-to-mouth,” said Re, who still gets emotional talking about the incident. “I put my hand under his head and he looked at me before he died.”

The couple wrapped Apollo in his favorite Afghan blanket and buried him in Re’s sister’s yard.

“I cried for days,” Re said.

Now, the Valley man is looking for justice. He’s also searching for a way to slow the traffic along 16th Avenue.

He’s contacted the Sheriff’s Department’s traffic unit and requested extra patrols. Sgt. Rick Starr, who works in the unit, admitted they are needed. The University and 16th area is a “chronic problem” spot, he said.

Unfortunately, it’s just one of about 200 chronic problem spots in the county.

“I could keep 50 officers busy writing tickets (in these areas),” he said. “We’re constantly overwhelmed by traffic requests.”

The Sheriff’s Department, he said, can most readily help neighborhoods dealing with a specific violator. If witnesses get vehicle descriptions and license numbers, some action can usually be taken.

Solutions are harder to find when traffic is generally heavy and speeding is the norm. This is the situation on 16th, neighbors say.

“It was just ridiculous,” said Clark, who has a 5-year-old daughter and 9-year-old twin boys.

Like many of her former neighbors, Clark never allowed her children to play alone in the front yard. Either she or her husband walked them to school and back every day. She was afraid to let them out of her sight.

Speeding, tailing and carelessness are expected, neighbors say. People just have to get out of the way.

Re and his wife plan to get out of the way - permanently. They’re moving, probably next spring. Until then, their 9-week-old puppy will have to walk in the back yard. If he’s in front of the house, Re said, he’s being carried.

Re continues to watch for the truck that killed Apollo. Anyone with information can call him at 921-1902.

“(He) was a really good dog,” Re said. “He may not have been anything to that driver, but he was everything to me.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo