SAN ANTONIO — A neighborhood is on high alert after several crashes. Some Eagle's Bluff residents have named the stretch of Babcock Road near Eagle’s Ledge “wreck road.”
Selena Vela has lived in the Eagle's Bluff neighborhood for more than a decade. She is tired of hearing the sound of screeching tires, followed by a bang.
“I get so freaked out when it happens,” said Vela. “Every time I hear that, I get very anxious and have to run outside to see what’s going on.”
Vela says the stretch of street behind her house has always been dangerous, but she believes it is getting worse.
“The traffic wasn’t as heavy in 2012,” said Vela. “I was concerned, though, living so close to Babcock about cars crashing into my fence. Unfortunately, it has happened three times that I have lived here where the car hits [my fence] and my backyard is open to this busy street.”
Two doors down, Miguel Fuentes is nervous every time his children play outside.
“We are hearing the cars passing behind us and we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Fuentes said.
Those fears were amplified when emergency crews responded to three separate crashes on Babcock Road near Eagles Ledge within a week.
Neighbors sent KENS 5 photos of the worst collision, which happened on Jan. 23. You can see a red truck flipped on its side, paramedics surrounding a person lying on the road, and a car with severe front-end damage.
“We have met with the [San Antonio] City Council before,” said Vela. “Nothing has really been done, but I think they really need to pay a lot of attention to it.”
Another neighbor told KENS 5 she was rear-ended while trying to turn left into Eagle's Bluff.
It’s a 45-mile-per-hour zone. However, homeowners say drivers often speed around the curves and lose control. The rain only made the situation worse last week.
Residents are begging the city to steer them to safety.
“I think the best idea is to get a stop sign at the corner here,” Fuentes said.
“Maybe bring down the speed limit,” suggested Vela. “Maybe to 35.”
San Antonio City Council Member Manny Pelaez represents the district. His office released the following statement:
“We were not notified of the recent traffic accidents at this location. We will follow up with SAPD to inquire about the accident reports. In April of 2023, our office met with the neighbors and public works. The neighbors requested to lower the speed limit and add all-way stops at their entrance. After a traffic report was completed, requests were denied by public works concluding that accurate speed limits were in place. Our office asked SAPD to monitor the location and we were under the impression that things had improved. Obviously, these new reports are disturbing and require immediate attention. We will contact the city again to advocate for more traffic calming options. Additionally, we will alert SAPD to monitor this intersection more closely.”