Late on a weekday afternoon, a car plowed into the fence of a home along Peoria Street near Alaska Place in Aurora at about 4:45 p.m., chewing up the yard but miraculously leaving the family inside unhurt. Neighbors say it is at least the fifth crash in roughly a year to cause serious property damage on this stretch, which many drivers now treat like their personal speedway. Residents say they have repeatedly called police and city leaders, yet long-term fixes still feel out of reach, so homeowners are fortifying their yards and bracing for the day someone is not so lucky.
According to CBS Colorado, the Ortiz family had already poured concrete and installed columns after an earlier crash, and neighbor Antonio Ortiz said, "If that concrete weren't there, it would have been bad." The outlet reports the latest collision caused no injuries, and that mobile speed cameras once stationed along the corridor recorded drivers flying through at speeds of as fast as 100 miles per hour before the cameras were removed last week. Neighbors told CBS the cameras were frequently vandalized and that the enforcement felt like a temporary patch rather than a permanent solution.
City Planning And Enforcement Moves
The city is developing an Aurora Safe Streets Action Plan and has ramped up enforcement, according to Sentinel Colorado. Sentinel reported that Aurora issued more than 11,000 traffic summonses and logged roughly 18,700 traffic stops in 2025 as part of a "Three Es" strategy that focuses on engineering, enforcement, and education. Public Works officials told the Sentinel they are prioritizing proven safety tools such as roundabouts and signal timing changes, while noting that larger engineering projects take both time and money to deliver.
Neighbors Paying Out Of Pocket
Some homeowners say they could not wait for the long game. Daniel Gelamichael told CBS Colorado he spent about $30,000 to build a reinforced concrete barrier after multiple impacts, and the Ortiz family similarly poured concrete behind their house. Contractor Sonny Pineda said residents regularly ask what it would cost to build protective walls because they feel they should not have to pay out of pocket just to feel safe in their own yards.
Why Quick Fixes Are Difficult
Engineers caution that major arterials like Peoria are built to move traffic efficiently, so measures that significantly slow vehicles can create tradeoffs for congestion, ongoing maintenance, and emergency response, Sentinel Colorado reports. The Sentinel notes that the city is planning to increase traffic calming budgets in 2026 and is reviewing corridors to find cost-effective safety interventions. Neighbors counter that even thoughtful planning and pilot projects feel slow when cars keep slamming into private property in the meantime.
For now, residents say they are the ones juggling repairs, safety upgrades, and pressure on elected officials, instead of the other way around. Until the city turns its crash data into lasting engineering changes or consistent enforcement along Peoria, homeowners say they will keep spending their own money to shield their families.
