MAGNA, Utah — After multiple accidents, a Magna community is demanding changes at what they say is a dangerous intersection.
“People run this all the time. They don't stop, they don't look," explained Magna resident Christi Lee.
Lee says her son has been hit twice by those driving on 8000 West and running the stop sign on 2820 South.
“He was driving, and they just pulled out and hit him," she shared, "and hit him so hard that he actually went into [a] wall and up against [a] post light. So, I mean, he could have died. It was, it was super bad and it's scary.”
Lee has spoken with police about enforcement at the intersection and suggested to city officials that a traffic light be installed at the location.
“Kids walk to school by themselves all the time. So it's very important because if a kid gets hit or killed, that's going to break a parent," Lee said.
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Magna Mayor Eric Barney said his city is aware of the issue and shared how changes will be coming soon.
“We recognize that traffic is only increasing on 8000 West with newer home developments going in faster as well, and so we're sensitive to that," the mayor said. "We're working to address the issue, and we're confident that in a couple of years, we'll have a new intersection that's safer, more workable, accommodates the school crossing zones and pedestrian traffic all along 8000 as well as the vehicles.”
Barney added that the city has been working on solutions for the intersection for years.
“The process is always slow," he admitted. "You have questions about funding, then you have design. In this case, we had to do some property acquisitions to be able to straighten the road out, which required purchasing some homes and all of those things. Just takes time.”
But Lee believes something needs to be done before a tragedy happens.
“This is our neighborhood. This is our city," she said. "No one wants to see all these accidents. No one wants to see kids get hurt.”
DRIVEN TO CHANGE
