Progress Slow In Improving Dangerous Mountain View Road

People living along one road near Desert Hot Springs are tired of cars crashing in front of their homes on a regular basis. They say county officials are too slow in keeping their kids safe.

Mountain View Road is just southeast of Desert Hot Springs. Many drivers use the two lane road as a shortcut into town to avoid Palm Drive.

Brenda Soto can’t believe how dangerous her street has become. Her mailboxwas run over by a car. Her front fence also showsjust how many cars have plowed through.

“We’ve had aboutseven accidents,five deaths within the last year,” Soto recalls.

Thetwo-lane shortcut to Desert Hot Springs has cars speeding up and dangerously passing each other. Children crossing the street to get to school are dodging cars that sometimes barely miss hitting them.

“I’m very worried about [the children]. Every time there’s an accident, I jump out of the house and I think it’s one of my kids,” said Mountain View Road resident Leonor Rojas.

There are several crosses on the side of Mountain View Road. Jose Moreno was killed last June when a drunk driver swerved into the opposite lane.

News Channel 3 called Riverside County officials to get some answers. Supervisor Marion Ashley’s office quickly responded.

Lawrence Tai with the County Transportation Department says the plan since 2006 was to maketheroad fourlanes. But with a $40 million budget deficit, any fix will have to wait three tofive years.

“That would be nice,” responded Soto. “But it’s scary at the same time because how many lives are going to be lost? How many more accidents are we going to see? What family has to lose a loved one until they can change this?”

It’s yet another way the county budget crisis is hitting families. Looking at the crash debris field that people living on Mountain View Road have in front of their homes, there is frustration that even though officials know what a problem this is, nothing will be likely be done for years.

“That’sthree years that more loves can be taken. I don’t think it’s fair,” said Rojas.