Dear Editor:
We are dismayed to read in Freda Miklin’s March 19th article that now with a second horrific death at the Belleview/Franklin intersection in less than two years, there is any hesitancy by Cherry Hills Village to immediately begin working with Greenwood Village to produce a joint staff report to find a solution for improving safety at that intersection. This inaction appears to be rooted in the belief that this intersection issue and the proposal to install a traffic light at that location have been driven primarily by GV, and that (implied) CHV residents don’t support any significant improvement at that intersection, including the installation of a traffic light. How has this conclusion been reached, given that numerous CHV residents signed the Andie’s Light petition and testified at both cities’ council meetings late last year in support of improvements at this intersection? CHV Mayor Katy Brown’s alternative solutions—for GV to install a sidewalk along their (south) side of Belleview and to jointly create a pedestrian underpass at Little Dry Creek–would benefit walkers, runners, and bikers. Both would be welcome improvements, but they would do nothing to improve the dangerous vehicle access issues on Belleview. A traffic light at the Belleview/Franklin intersection, halfway between the lights at University and Clarkson, would slow traffic and best address the issues that face both pedestrians and drivers in both cities.
In mid-2024, our daughter, son-in-law, and three young grandsons moved into their CHV home off Summit Blvd, a short block east of Franklin. Since then, when leaving their home via Summit, our family members and friends have all experienced the stress involved in attempting to turn left (east) onto Belleview during the several hours of both morning and afternoon rush hour, when dense, speeding traffic affords few safe breaks in both directions for that turn. Our fears were reinforced just four months ago, when a westbound vehicle collided with a Summit resident making that left turn onto Belleview. Having had our own close calls, we now avoid that intersection, especially when driving our grandsons. Instead, we cut through the neighborhood to Franklin, and then either take Layton Ave to the Clarkson light or drive nearly a mile north on Franklin to catch the Quincy/University light. Both routes are significantly less direct but much safer. If a traffic light could be installed at the Belleview/Franklin intersection, traffic would be stopped long enough to safely make that left onto Belleview, avoiding the need to cut through the neighborhood, as probably many CHV residents also do.
We join many others in fearing for the safety of all, especially resident children and grandchildren of both cities, who are now or soon will be new, inexperienced drivers attempting to access Belleview, with many driving to and from Cherry Creek High School during both rush hour intervals. Will it have to take a collision, causing serious injury–or worse–involving CHV residents, for CHV city leaders to begin working collaboratively with GV to find a workable solution for improving safety at this intersection?
Mark & Sue Rosser
Centennial, CO