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Sunset Drive Neighborhood Tries To Deal With Drag Racing, Car Accidents

November 18, 2005

Some homeowners along Sunset Drive have installed concrete poles inside their yards to stop a car from crashing through. But they fear a student walking to Sunset High will be killed one day because there is no guardrail to protect pedestrians.

Manny Bello heard a loud crash in his backyard and ran outside to see a car had smashed through his wooden fence, bulldozed his granddaughter's playhouse and slid into his neighbor's yard. It was a 10 a.m. drag race along Sunset Drive near Southwest 132nd Place, and it was the second time. ''This is a safety issue,'' Bello said, emphatically. The homeowner, who lives within walking distance of Sunset High, came up with a creative approach to protect his property and family. He hired a private contractor to line the inside of his fence with concrete poles.

The poles are similar to those you find outside grocery stores. In fact, that's where Bello got the idea. ''I don't know if it'll stop a car completely, but it'll slow it down at least,'' he said. ``And it doesn't hurt anybody.''

County officials aren't arguing with him, neither are other homeowners who are installing similar poles. ''The concrete poles on private property do not come into conflict with zoning regulations, provided that they are clearly in connection with the reinforcement of the perimeter fencing and do not exceed 6 feet in height, the maximum height of fences in the RU-1 zoning district,'' stated Erin Parker, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Planning and Zoning.

Bello was not aware that at least two other houses in the neighborhood have adopted the same plan. In fact, what he would have preferred is a guard rail like the one protecting the houses across the street. Those rails are set up on the outside of the sidewalk, to protect pedestrians, as well as homeowners. The poles cost Bello approximately $50 each. He has a total of 20.

The second car accident, which thrashed the Bello property in 2002, hurled through the yard of their neighbor, Susie Garcia. ''When I got home the car was maybe 10 feet away from my bedroom wall,'' said Garcia. ``The guy was fine. He walked out of it and it was actually our mango tree that stopped it from hitting my house.'' Garcia, however, has not decided whether to install the poles.

Aside from his family, Bello said he worries about the students at Sunset High, who walk to and from school. ''There are always a lot of kids walking along this street, especially before and after school,'' he said. Garcia, whose daughter, Cristina, is a sophomore there, agreed. ''If that car had crashed two hours earlier, it could have killed 10 to 15 kids,'' Bello said, shaking his head and staring at the gleaming rail across the street.