Speeding worries Wells Acres Road residents; Bend PD says it’s worse elsewhere

'I just don't feel like anyone is taking any responsibility or action to keep us all safe.'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- On Monday morning, Bend police pulled over a driver on Wells Acres Road for driving nearly 13 miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone.

Traffic Officer Scot Eliott said there are always drivers going the speed limit, sometimes without even noticing. 

"If you just notice the sign and glance at your speedometer, you're going to know how fast you're going,” Eliott said. “Here's a great guy, nice guy -- but he's just not quite doing it right."

According to Karina Munch, who lives on Wells Acres Road, there are a lot of drivers not doing it right.

"Everyone seems to understand there's a speed issue here, but nothing is being done about it,” Munch said.

Munch said speeding on Wells Acres Road is a big issue, and there have been several crashes here the past few months.

"I have two children, and I get it's a busy road -- and that's okay. But speed isn't okay,” Munch said.

Eliott said since the pandemic started, he's noticed more speeders.

"Statistically speaking, people are speeding all over this town, kind of all the time,” Eliott said.

In less than two hours Monday morning, Eliott pulled over three people for speeding on Wells Acres.

However, Eliott says when he looks at the numbers, it's not one of Bend's main problem areas.

"Eight percent of the people in this area are speeding, or 20 percent of the people in this area are speeding. And we can gather that data for two or three weeks, and then compare it against other places that we've been through,” Eliott said.

"So in terms of an allocation of resources issue, obviously we need to go where it's happening more often," he said.

The City of Bend has  an interactive map that shows the average speed and number of vehicles on a particular street.

For Wells Acres, police found 85 percent of drivers were going 34 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone.

You can find the map here.

Munch wants speed humps (a petition with over 100 signatures backs that request) and a greater police presence on her street, before something drastic happens.

"Someone getting hit, someone getting seriously hurt, a car going through my house or someone else's house,” Munch said. “I just don't feel like anyone is taking any responsibility or action to keep us all safe."