by ABC-7 Reporter Daniel Marin
EL PASO, Texas - Within minutes of Thursday's crash that killed four young friends in far east El Paso, there were plenty of clashing emergency lights along Zaragoza and Rich Beem...but no traffic lights.
"It's dangerous out there," said Daniel Fenwick, a Fort Bliss soldier who has lived off Zaragoza for five months. He said at times, the roadway looks more like a speedway.
"You got guys riding back and forth at 60, 75 miles an hour. I'd like to see some (traffic) lights out there."
District 5 City Representative Rachel Quintana is happy to report there are signals scheduled to go up in the area. At a cost to the city of $150,000 each, one set will be at Zaragoza and Edgemere, and the other at the scene of Thursday's crash at Rich Beem. But they won't go up until April or May, in line behind other intersections around the city.
So at Tuesday's City Council meeting, Quintana asked the other representatives to help move the lights in her district up the schedule.
No one else on council offered to second her motion.
City manager Joyce Wilson said all 17 traffic light projects were moving at a swift pace. District 2 Representative Susie Byrd agreed, adding, "I think the best thing to do is just to get them done."
Police say despite last Thursday's deadly crash, Zaragoza doesn't even crack the top 20 when it comes to problem areas around El Paso.