MACON, Bibb County — If you live in a neighborhood connecting two main roads, you might relate to the Prestons' concerns.
For over 30 years, the Prestons called Pine Forest Road their home where they raised three sons.
However, as Macon grew busier, so has their street. With that growth comes concerns about safety, particularly related to speeding drivers on a hilly road.
Many of us may enjoy breathing in the crisp air on early fall mornings, but the Prestons hold their breath just to leave.
"I have a dangerous driveway," Tabetha explains, noting how difficult it is to back out onto the street, especially with the fast-moving traffic.
Over the years, the family and neighbors say they tried to address these concerns, but despite their best efforts, the problem persists.
According to the Prestons, many vehicles pass through without slowing down, making it difficult for residents to safely navigate their driveways.
The people who live on Pine Forest Road aren't the only people concerned.
"It's a constant worry," Tabetha admits. "A lot of people are like, 'Nope, your driveway is too dangerous. I’m gonna park at the end of the road.' Sometimes, we have to stand at the top of the hill to monitor traffic and make sure no cars are coming so our visitors can safely back out."
The situation has created a sense of unease, as residents and their guests must constantly be on alert when trying to leave their homes.
"There’s a family that walks their children to the bus stop, but we don’t have a sidewalk," says Preston. "I have to move over to allow them to walk, but the cars don’t stop—they just keep going."
Nearly a decade ago, the Prestons reached out to the Macon-Bibb Public Works Department to address the safety concerns on Pine Forest Road.
They were able to get a representative from the department to check the area out. Tabetha said they installed the blind driveway sign after coming out.
"When they came out, they saw there was a need for it," Tabetha recalled.
However, Preston says that the sign has done little to slow down speeding vehicles.
"Drivers don’t pay attention to the sign," she says. "They might not even see it. Very few drivers slow down, and that's only if they see me backing out. The speeders don’t pay attention."
The lack of action has left the Prestons and neighbors feeling frustrated.
As they wait on the edge of the street to back out, they're on edge for what might come.
You don’t know when to back out," Tabetha explains. "Sometimes it takes a minute to back out, and cars are coming from both directions. It’s a constant gamble."
She admits that she’s come close to accidents on multiple occasions, and the worry of being blamed if a collision were to occur weighs heavily on her mind.
"Am I going to be in the wrong if I pull out and collide with another vehicle? Am I going to get a ticket?" she asks. "Most of all, I don’t want to tear up my car."
To better understand the problem, 13WMAZ asked to meet with a deputy from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit to gauge if drivers were actually speeding, but not for ticketing purposes.
"The easy simple explanation? they would," Corporal James Litton said.
Litton is from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) Unit agreed to meet with us for a half hour.
Litton explained that the area lacks stop signs or other traffic control measures, which means vehicles traveling down the road have the right of way. "If you’re backing out into the roadway, you have to make the decision on when it's clear and you have enough time to back out," Litton said. "Otherwise, you’re at fault for the accident."
Weighing in on the Prestons worries, we better gauged their concerns and let Litton's Lidar gun provide proof.
The results showed that speeding is a frequent issue on Pine Forest Road.
Most of the people driving over the 25 miles per hour speed limit were driving in between the 30 to 45 mile per hour range.
Near the end of our observation with Litton, he clocked a driver speeding over twice the limit-- 52 miles per hour-- and had to ticket them.
The Prestons said they're hoping to get speed bumps installed on Pine Forest Road.
"I've been calling, and calling, and calling to get speed bumps just so it'll be safer," Tabetha said.
Litton said while it may help with the problem residents posed, the speed bumps "Would impede traffic flow a great deal."
The city’s response has been mixed.
The Prestons say they were told by the representative, who helped them get the blind driveway sign, to gather a petition from residents to support the installation of speed bumps.
However, the city later clarified that a petition is no longer required.
Instead, the city seeks permission from property owners where the speed bumps would be installed, and traffic engineers will conduct a speed study to assess whether the measures are warranted.
In the meantime, the Prestons are waiting to breathe a sigh of relief.
Are any roads around Central Georgia driving you crazy? Email us at news@13wmaz.com. We might look into your issue next.