CARMEL — A lot of buzz is being generated on the Carmel Social Media Facebook page about a couple of intersections that residents are referring to as dangerous.
"I almost got hit by a semi a couple of weeks ago. There was plenty of time for the semi to stop, but it didn't," said Brenda Edwards, who lives off of 146th Street.
The dangerous stretch in question is along 146th Street, and residents said the number of crashes seems to be rising.
"There just seems like there's an increase in crashes, especially at Gray Road, here at Carey Road and even Hazel Dell Road. Living around here, especially at this intersection, you hear the sirens increasingly, almost all the time,” Edwards said.
According to Hamilton County Sheriff's Office statistics, the number of crashes isn't increasing.
The intersection of 146th and Gray Road saw 10 crashes in 2016, 15 accidents in 2017 and 10 crashes in 2018.
The intersection at Carey Road saw 18 crashes in 2016, 14 crashes in 2017, and 11 crashes in 2018.
But, officials said, other agencies could have responded to crashes in the area, as well.
RTV6 reached out to the Carmel Police Department and put in a records request for the crash counts, and got a message responding that our request is currently under review.
Residents said that the crashes that are happening seem to have more impact.
"They seem to be more severe though, and it seems like there are a lot of more serious injury accidents,” said Holly Hardman, who has lived along 146th Street for 14 years.
Neighbors also said a lot of trucks travel up and down the road at high speeds.
"Given the speed limit and the size of those trucks, it cannot be easy to stop one of those trucks, even if they're doing the speed limit and obeying the traffic laws. If the timing isn't right, they may not be able to stop their truck in time to not run a red light,” said Hardman.
Checking the traffic signals is one suggestion residents think could help curb crashes, as well as an increase in patrols.
"When I'm driving the road, I really don't see police patrolling the road at all,” said Edwards.
RTV6 reached out to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for patrol information and got the following response: “The Sheriff’s Office regularly patrols 146th Street as part of our primary jurisdiction. As a boundary between other agencies, Carmel, Noblesville and Westfield Police Departments are also in the area. We are aware of crashes and keep deputies available there as frequently as possible.”
Residents and those who travel the road frequently are asking drivers to slow down and avoid distractions because, after all, one crash is too many.
