34th Street, spanning from Connolly Avenue to Taylor Avenue, continues to be a problem spot for drivers, pedestrians, and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
34th Street is home to 52 residents ranging from Western students to people who have lived there since the 1960s. Over the years, 34th Street has evolved into a through-street used by people who want to access the freeway.
Narrow road does not inspire a lot confidence when it comes to safety
The street itself is not a very safe one due to several factors. With the width measuring to 18 ft. 6 in. across, the narrow road is made even narrower when people parallel park on the side of the road leaving even less road for pedestrians to walk on.
Gary Vodopich, a resident in the area, says that when Western students have parties, even more cars flood the side of the road which cuts into 8 ft. of the driving area. So not only do the cars and the narrow road itself make for an unsafe environment but the road is not pedestrian friendly in the first place since there are no sidewalks.
Vodopich also foresees an increase in traffic in the future due to a housing development that is being put in on the south end of 34th Street near Connolly Avenue. As a result, 34th Street could possibly turn into a high traffic area because all of those future residents would most likely end up using the road as a thoroughfare.
Speed bumps prove to be only somewhat effective
Vodopich has lived in his home since 1965 and played a major role in getting speed bumps installed on 34th street. The bumps, which are flat and made of rubber, were originally supposed to be a temporary fix for the street and if more problems were to arise, then further measures would be taken and permanent speed bumps would be installed.
However, the temporary bumps ended up being a lot more work than was originally expected. The bumps took three days to install and required the use of 286 bolts so it was ultimately decided that they would remain in the road until further notice.
Vodopich also believes that the street draws in more speeders because 34th is known for not having officers out monitoring the area. Apparently the area cannot get an officer to catch high speed repeat offenders due to cut backs in the police department.
City Council member Jack Weiss says that residents of the 34th street area are at the top of list in terms of safety and should consider themselves lucky to at least have speed bumps in the neighborhood. He feels that people have lost sight of what is real versus what is perceived.
“My street feeds into the technical college and people speed on it all the time,” Weiss said. “It is a predominant problem throughout the entire community.”
Single family residence vs. multiple student residence
Five of the houses within close proximity to Vodopich’s home are student houses which Vodopich feels do not belong in the neighborhood. The 34th Street region is zoned as a single family residence region. He feels that the students treat their habitats like garbage cans.
“They have no courtesy to the neighborhood,” Vodopich said. “To them it’s just a bed. To me it’s a home.”
With eight to ten students to a home, things can get pretty hectic especially when they throw parties. Vodopich recalls one of the student houses getting into trouble many times tallying up numerous offenses including four 911 calls, two animal control incidents, a citation for litter, and an incident which involved the use of two police crews. Vodopich just wants it to be a nice family residence like it used to be.
“The city is scared to death of Western so they won’t do anything about it,” Vodopich said. “The city doesn’t support efforts to change anything because they’re afraid they might upset someone.”
As far as Weiss is concerned, Western students can live wherever they please. Even though the city-wide rule states that only three unrelated people can share an apartment or home, Weiss feels that the city’s focus should be set toward other issues.
“We don’t have the interest or the money to look into the matter,” Weiss said. “It’s not a priority. We’re not into investigating what’s going on in people’s bedrooms.”
Sewage troubles
In addition to the speeding and student housing issues, Merrill Ling, a retired Western maintenance mechanic and resident in the area, is most concerned with the fact that there is no sewer system within his area. He thinks that it would be nice if the city pushed the issue a little more. Apparently residents have sat down with Public Works to voice their concerns about the sewage but Ling says they are still waiting to see results.
“It’s been like watching paint dry for the last two years,” Ling said. “The rules keep on changing from when I built my house 40 years ago”
He says the sewer system was top of line years ago when his house was built but now Ling has had to install a port-o-potty in his home because the health department has shut him down.
Concerns still continue
At first glance, the narrowness of 34th Street itself might appear to be the only problem with the area. However, many various concerns have stemmed from the road itself and have spilled over into the surrounding neighborhoods, affecting the residents as well as the overall atmosphere.
“I’m just a grumpy old fart that wants his old neighborhood back to how it was before,” Vodopich said. “I just want to be able to walk down the street and not have to look over my shoulder and worry about getting run over.”
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