The internet was ignited by the viral video of the drunk driver who hit Mayer’s home. In the jarring clip, a whizzing car buzzes over the roundabout connecting the intersection of Tyler Street and Polk Street, skipping like a stone across a pond, before somersaulting into a fiery blaze on the evening of May 8. In February, a similar sequence, a reckless driver accelerating up the steep Tyler Street, fails to decelerate before banking into the roundabout, pummeling over the circle, etching deep tire tracks in unkept weeds and wildflowers, before flip-flopping onto the pavement on the other side.
The angle of the videos, which have been recirculated by many local publications and even made their way to CNN, conveniently excludes footage of the cars crashing through the wood siding of the townhomes. In February, the car drove through the home across from Mayer’s unit like a bullet, going in one side and out the other, creating an unwanted breezeway.
The latest accident was the third time the townhomes at the Tyler/Polk intersection have been hit, although no injuries have been reported. The townhomes struck in the last 90 days still have car-sized holes in their facades and remain patched with plywood boarding.
Since before the accidents, residents have been seeking traffic calming solutions not just at that specific roundabout but all the way along Sylvan Avenue, which runs up the spine of one of the large rolling hills in which the Kessler neighborhood of Oak Cliff is known for. The somewhat steep hill, requiring a decent amount of acceleration to ascend, is a speeding hotspot, and efforts to reduce the hazards of the road have been unsuccessful, but the district’s representative, Council member Chad West, continues to seek increased safety along the route.
Following the accident, West requested the installation of water-filled barriers—traffic calming devices that are smaller plastic versions of the concrete barriers that separate the sides of the highway—from the city’s transportation department. The city denied his request. With the help of a concerned district resident and the permission from Dallas Parks and Recreation, the money was raised to hire a contractor to transport unused water-filled barriers from White Rock Lake to the roundabout in Kessler on Thursday morning, seven days after the latest accident.
“If the city fails to act to keep our neighbors safe, I’ll work on an alternative path to make sure those barriers are installed,” West said in a prepared statement prior to installation. "We will continue to work with neighbors and staff to add additional medium- and long-term safety improvements for neighbors, pedestrians, and drivers alike.”
Resident Concerns
Taylor Smith, the neighbor who called the unlucky birthday girl, and a member of the community’s HOA, has owned his corner townhome that shares a wall with Mayer’s since 2021. He heard the screeching sounds of ineffective brakes from his couch on the second floor of his home; he already knew what was happening: another wreck. Smith jokes about being the next victim in the lineup of homes, but hopes the water-filled barriers offer a bit more promised safety to the residents, and still expects greater city action. 
“These temporary water barriers really only help prevent folks from traveling that same path and sort of catastrophic situations where cars jump the roundabout and momentum carries them into our building,” said Smith. “So, for all the other cars that are speeding that do manage to stay on the road, these water barriers do nothing for that.”
On Thursday morning, Smith, Mayer and about a dozen other townhome residents gathered behind West during a press conference about the recent accidents. In his remarks, he called out Vision Zero, the city's plan to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and reduce severe injury accidents by 50% by 2030.
“It's very disappointing to me that staff has not taken some action before today, but it is evident as to why we are doing so poorly in the city of Dallas in meeting our Vision Zero goals,” said West. “We have got to do better, and we've got to start prioritizing residents, people, cyclists, children, and neighbors over just moving cars as fast as possible for our city.”
Mayer is staying with friends for now, until her home is repaired. The resident who was displaced in February is renting from an out-of-state owner and was moved into a unit further back on the property, Smith says, but the owner of the property is considering selling once it's repaired. Smith adds that the recent string of crashes hasn’t inspired him to move yet, but his friends and family are certainly encouraging it.
“We're not considering selling,” Smith said. “We're just hoping that the city considers immediate short-term and long-term solutions to increase safety in this area. I think [the barriers will work] in the short term, but the overall speed in the Tyler street corridor is still one of our main concerns.”
Roundabout Efficacy Questioned
After the May accident, online critics claimed the roundabout introduced increased hazards, but the opposite seems to be true. The roundabout was installed in 2022 to reduce hazards, and the numbers suggest the measure has largely been effective. According to crash data verified by the Observer, there were nearly three times the number of accidents at the intersection before the roundabout was installed. Since its installation, there have been no confirmed injuries in any of the eight reported accidents that have happened at the roundabout.International research on roundabouts supports their efficacy. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that roundabouts can reduce accidents with injury by up to 80%, and a separate study published in the Journal of Safety Research shows that their efficacy improves over time as drivers familiarize themselves with the pattern.
The solution to the Tyler/Polk roundabout concerns may just be another roundabout located lower on the hill. At another problematic intersection, where Sylvan Avenue and Colorado Boulevard meet, West has secured $3.9 million for a road redesign, and another roundabout is one of the potential options.
“Three years after the roundabout was installed, we had only eight accidents, so massive reduction, thanks to the roundabout,” said West. “The problem is bad driving, irresponsible drivers. Our solution is going to be working on slowing down Tyler Street to get people to slow down before they come to the roundabout. But we cannot forget, while we're working on those solutions, that we need to protect the neighbors now.”
The Solution To The Problem
West is exploring alternate routes beyond the water-filled barriers, like additional reflective signage to warn nighttime drivers about the upcoming roundabout. New signage had already been ordered before the May crash, and coincidentally, a meeting dedicated to road safety was already scheduled for the Friday morning after the crash. Beyond signage, he’s considering installing a reflective art structure in the middle of the roundabout, raising the curbs and installing posts around the medians and roundabout to prevent another drive-through event. But as much as preventative measures go, the greater issue remains: speeding and reckless driving are problems along the passage connecting Oak Cliff to Interstate 30.
Controlling speeds on the hill presents issues, as the Dallas Police Department continues to grapple with understaffing, expecting a patrolman to monitor the strip is impractical. But West has requested data from an existing permanent speed radar installed on the hill, hoping the city can spare a patrolman to station during peak hours and scare off serial speeders.
“Our police resources are limited and can’t be everywhere at the same time,” said West. “While we can’t prevent people from driving recklessly, we want to do everything possible to slow down cars, alert drivers, and make sure there are safety mechanisms in the event people drive off the road.”
