GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Homeowners on West Cone Boulevard in Greensboro are noticing drivers traveling in the wrong direction down the one-way road.
Jenipher Smith lives off the road and said one of the worst intersections for this problem is West Cone Boulevard at Lafayette Avenue. Smith said a lot of people are using this street to get to Cone Boulevard from Cornwallis Drive. They get to the intersection and think they can turn left.
Smith told FOX8 she’s seen drivers going the wrong way three times in the past week.
“I don’t know how we haven’t witnessed a head-on collision,” she said.
Smith often hears drivers honking as they cruise down West Cone Boulevard. Video from Smith’s garage camera shows a car pulling into her driveway to turn around after going the wrong direction down the one-way road.
“On average, I would say it’s at least once a week. Sometimes more,” she said.
Smith has lived in the area for about two years and said the problem keeps getting worse.
“My daughter has almost gotten hit head-on trying to go to school,” Smith said. “It’s been especially bad over the last few months.”
Smith is scared to leave her house between people driving the wrong way and speeding in the 35 miles per hour residential zone.
“If somebody is coming at the rate of speed people typically are, which is in excess of 40-50 miles an hour, it’s going to be bad because somebody is going to get slammed into,” she said.
Several signs in the area alert drivers that Cone Boulevard is a one-way street. There are also “do not enter” signs at several intersections. FOX8 crews did see there are no signs at the intersection of Cone Boulevard and Elkhart Drive alerting people they can’t turn right.
Greensboro City Councilman Zach Matheny is over the district where these traffic problems are happening, and he’s heard multiple complaints. He’s working with the city on possible solutions.
“Is there roundabouts?” he said. “Is there some other type of traffic calming devices that we can use? When you’re driving…on the highway, on the sides, the shoulders, they have rough spots right there, and maybe we can do something like that to mitigate folks going the wrong way?”
Smith said something needs to be done before someone gets hurt.
“I don’t know if they need to put flashing lights on the signs or something to get people’s attention,” she said. “They certainly, at the very least, need to do that. Probably wouldn’t hurt to put a stop light in.”
FOX8 also reached out to Greensboro police about the wrong way drivers. Officers said they haven’t been called to this area to conduct a traffic stop for that issue.