Safety concerns are growing along a busy stretch of South Buckner Boulevard in North Texas, where a pattern of crashes is drawing attention from nearby businesses and Dallas city leaders. In Dallas, along Buckner Boulevard between Forney Road and Military Parkway, Omar Omar said drivers routinely speed through the area, and crashes have become common. Omar opened his tire shop at the corner of Buckner and Military in 2009. He said he has witnessed crashes or their aftermath nearly every week. “This is not one day or two days. This is pretty much every week,” Omar said. “The biggest issue is I always see car accidents from day one I have been here.” He has collected dozens of surveillance videos showing collisions at the intersection. In some cases, Omar said he has stepped in to help drivers stranded in the middle of the busy roadway. “We try to do our best. Call 911, make the police be involved with it,” Omar said. Just last week, his cameras captured a silver sports car traveling north on Buckner and being hit by a dark-colored SUV while turning left onto Military Parkway. The crash has renewed questions about the effectiveness of traffic signals at the intersection and along Buckner. “The light has a lot to do with it, and people do not pay attention to the street,” Omar said. “They always look at the other one instead of looking at this one.” At the intersection, there are two sets of traffic lights. The second set is located at an underpass, and the two are not perfectly coordinated. Omar said drivers may be confused and run the first red light if they focus only on the second green light. “Look right now. This is red. That is green. It just turned,” he said. He also believes reckless driving plays a role. “Drivers, they drive crazy on the street,” he said. “They need to slow down and watch the road.” Data from the Texas Department of Transportation shows there have been 47 crashes between Forney and Scyene roads this year, resulting in nearly 80 injuries. In a statement to NBC 5, District 5 Council Member Jaime Resendez said he shares concerns about safety along the corridor. He said the area is a top priority in the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan and acknowledged the safety issues are serious and persistent. “…As part of the current Military Parkway corridor study, we are evaluating the full length of the roadway with the goal of designing a safer, more functional corridor for all modes of transportation—drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. I’ve been closely involved in those discussions, and many community members have been attending meetings and sharing their ideas and firsthand experiences, which has been invaluable,” Resendez said in part. “The Dallas Police Department has also increased traffic enforcement along both Military Parkway and Buckner Blvd. TxDOT’s work is underway to install five new traffic signals along the Buckner stretch by next year. DART has planned bus stop relocations and removals along Buckner, which will significantly improve safety along that corridor for all road users.” Despite those efforts, Omar said more needs to be done to protect drivers and pedestrians. Until changes are made, he believes crashes will continue to happen right outside his business. ...read more read less