PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — People living in Port St. Lucie told WPTV’s Tyler Hatfield that speeding and aggressive driving are out of control in the city.
“It just seems like everybody's in a hurry these days,” John Kirby from Port St. Lucie told WPTV.
Port St. Lucie residents say traffic is a major issue
Kirby is originally from New York and thought the driving was rough there. That is, until he moved to the Treasure Coast.
“I thought New Yorkers were crazy, but down here, it just seems like no one pays attention.”
WPTV took their concerns to police and spent the day with them to see what they're dealing with first-hand — and how they’re coming up with solutions to solve it.
In a 2023 Port St. Lucie citizens survey, 50 percent of people who responded saw traffic as the biggest issue in the city.
Chief Leo Niemcyzk agrees.
“Driving around the city myself, it was out of control,” said Niemczyk.
Niemczyk said he wants to make the issue one of his top priorities. He said the department is now shifting their traffic enforcement from side residential streets to more highly driven roadways, like U.S. 1, Port St Lucie Boulevard, Gatlin Boulevard, Crosstown Parkway and Tradition Parkway.
“It wasn't working for us, so we took the traffic officers and put them in the very high visibility areas on the main roads,” said Niemczyk.
RIDING ALONG WITH TRAFFIC OFFICERS
WPTV drove around with two city traffic officers who told us about their experiences with aggressive driving.
“I've clocked people in excess of 100 mph on U.S. 1,” said Officer Daniel Dalia.
“I got someone at approximately 101 mph on Port St Lucie Boulevard,” said officer Julian Wright.
Officer Wright said he is already seeing the change and told WPTV that officer visibility helps when tackling traffic.
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“People are more conscious that we patrol those areas,” said Officer Wright. “We are running radar and running laser on those roads as well.”
With a growing city and more traffic, Chief Niemcyzk said they have to prepare.
“A city is a living, breathing thing,” said Niemczyk. “The needs of the city change and the department has to adapt to those changes.”
