City of Waco is cracking down on speeding in effort to prevent wrecks in Cameron Park area

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Officials say speeding drivers are damaging property in Cameron Park and surrounding neighborhoods and the city of Waco is working to come up with safety measures along University Parks Drive in an effort to mitigate the problem.

“It’s a little concerning that you may be walking in the park, and someone is coming around the corner really fast,” said Caitlyn Stull, who walks the park with her daughter almost every day.

She said the reckless driving worries her, considering families visit the area.

“There are a lot families walking in the park, like old people, young moms pushing strollers. It would be nice if people did take a little more care of the roads so we wouldn’t be so nervous that one of us is going to get hit,” said Stull.

City Waco Parks & Recreation Director Jonathan Cook said speeding is the issue along University Parks Drive.

Cooks said a car recently jumped the curb, and crashed into a 1,100-pound statue before hitting a traffic pole.

He said it’s the second animal statue damaged within the last few months, along with a pedestrian bridge last year.

“Whether it’s daytime or nighttime, whether it’s a neighborhood park or a regional park like this, you have to treat it like a school zone to where you know you have to slow down,” said Cook.

Stull said she wants to see change immediately.

“It’s a statue right now, but heaven forbid it be a person, “ he said.

Cooks said the city is looking into safety measures, like placing protective boulders along the road, adding new speeding measures and possibly moving the statues further away from the road.

“Number one, with any park, our priority is safety. That’s not only safety for our patrons and visitors to the park, but safety for our park’s features,” said Stull.

Cook said the statue is valued at $30,000 dollars.

The city is working with Public Works and Creative Waco to replace the statue.

Cook said there isn’t a timetable on when it will be finished because the city still has to replace the giraffe statue.

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