AUSTIN, Texas — Neighbors in South Austin are begging for improvements to a road they say is extremely dangerous.
Residents have worried about a stretch of Old San Antonio Road behind Akins High School for some time. They say students run the risk of being hit daily.
"This road is not equipped to have this amount of road traffic on it," neighbor Belynda Montgomery said.
That's the concern for Montgomery, whose kids attend Akins Early College High School. She wants to see safety updates here.
"I would love a pedestrian ... a flashing pedestrian beacon with a median here with a big, bold crosswalk that you have to slow for," Montgomery said. "I mean, look how fast these people are going."
Officials with Austin's Transportation Department told KVUE that "the area of Old San Antonio Road on the back side of Akins High School is listed in the plan as a Very High Priority for sidewalk installation. The city's goal is to address all very high and high priority sidewalks and shared streets within 10 years."
"Everybody keeps telling me why it's not in their purview or it's not an area that they can do anything about. And I just fear that a child is going to die on this road," Montgomery said.
"The proximity to the high school is something that is unique about this road, regardless of some of the other challenges associated with putting traffic calming devices there," District 5 Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said.
Alter said he's working closely with neighbors to address concerns, but with Old San Antonio Road not being classified a residential road, the city can't do as much to address the speed by adding bumps or other measures.
"There's tons of cars on either side of the street, and they're literally just barricaded. You really can't even see the light," Montgomery said.
Montgomery just hopes to see a fix before any irreversible damage is done.