DOVER, DE- Neighbors on East Loockerman Street in Dover are raising concerns about speeding in their neighborhood. Many say drivers using the street as a shortcut between Route 13 and Route 8 are turning it into a dangerous raceway.
Mary Bell, who has lived on East Loockerman Street for over a decade, says speeding has become a serious safety issue.
"It's just hard to enjoy your neighborhood when people treat it like a dragstrip."
Bell adds that drivers coming off Route 13 have caused multiple accidents on the street, which is supposed to have a 25-mile-per-hour speed limit.
"Three of our cars have been hit. My daughter's car was actually totaled just by someone driving down the street in a 25-mile-an-hour zone. That shouldn't happen."
Bill Murray, a 50-year resident of East Loockerman Street, says the speeding issue continues to worsen, and he believes the city must take action.
"I'd like to see police come down, maybe an unmarked car — stop them and give them a ticket."
After receiving numerous concerns from neighbors, the Dover Police conducted a speed study in March to assess the situation.
Chief Thomas Johnson with the Dover Police said the study showed that, on average, drivers followed the posted speed limit, and the violations that could be enforced were minimal.
"The average speed in the neighborhood is spot on with what the posted speed is. The violations we can enforce are very, very low."
The Dover Police Department presented their findings to the Dover City Council.
Despite these findings, Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen says the concerns are valid, acknowledging that perception plays a key role in the ongoing issues.
"I've gone out there and sat there myself and observed people just, they come off of Route 13 and they think they're still on Route 13 when they get through this."
The mayor says the city will continue to take action by increasing enforcement in the area.
"There's nothing that gets anybody's attention more than a ticket."
The Dover Police Department says it is open to future changes depending on data shifts and plans to increase police enforcement on and around the East Loockerman Street area as much as possible.