BERRYHILL, OKLA. — Many people in Berryhill said they're fed up with drivers ignoring the school zone signs.
They're worried about cars driving too fast when children are around.
"Nobody wants to slow down. Just like that one going by now, just flying," said longtime community member Cheryl Coleman.
Coleman said drivers aren't paying attention, "they just don't care. Their sense of entitlement has overtaken them. They don't think they have to stop. They don't think they have to slow down. They just keep on goin'."
Roy Smith, the pastor at the church across the road from Berryhill South Elementary, is also upset. He said his team at New Home Free Will Baptist is on high alert when students cross the street for daycare at the church.
"We always have to have two or three adults to make sure that people will slow down and stop and see the children as they come across," Smith said.
He said traffic backs up quickly on the hilly, two-lane road, and drivers don't have time to stop, causing them to veer into the church's parking lot or even use it to get around the jam.
"I do wish that they'd put the sign where the school zone is further up this hill, because to give people more notice. Maybe even on the other side of the hill," Smith said. "Of course, people say, everybody knows there's a school. Well, there's a lot of people who are new to this community or travel through the community, and don't know that."
Berryhill Public Schools told 2 News it also wants drivers to stay alert and follow the speed limit. Staff also said the main road and signs are Tulsa County property. 2 News contacted the county and was referred to its engineering department, but haven't heard back.
In the meantime, people are staying vigilant.
"It's all very scary in any school zone. Because people will not slow down," Coleman said.
The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office said drivers can be fined up to $500 for speeding in a school zone.
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