An unsolved hit-and-run crash that injured a man and killed his dog is renewing concerns about traffic safety along Memorial Parkway in Akron, where police say 97 crashes have occurred since 2024.
On Oct. 3, Robert Kelly was walking his dog, Snickerdoodle, in a crosswalk at Merriman Road and Memorial Parkway when they were struck by a turning vehicle. Kelly said he had the walk signal at the time.
Snickerdoodle was killed. Kelly suffered a broken leg and other injuries and is recovering at a rehabilitation facility.
The driver left the scene and has not been identified.
I am so sick and angry right now that somebody just could not wait, Kelly told News 5 earlier this month.
The crash has put a new spotlight on Memorial Parkway, a road stretching a little more than a mile through Akron.
I asked Akron police for crash data for the parkway. Police said there have been 97 crashes in nearly three years, 15 of which resulted in injuries.
Akron City Councilman Fran Wilson called the number alarming.
Its a shocking number, Wilson said.
Wilson said safety concerns are particularly significant because children and parents use the area.
Weve had a number of people whove been hit while commuting to school, parents, theres been a couple of freak accidents where students almost got hit, Wilson said.
Haley Starvaggi, a mother of three who lives nearby, is also concerned. Two of her children attend the elementary school on Memorial Parkway where the speed limit is 35.
Unfortunately, I did witness one accident where the car was probably going over 50 miles an hour down Memorial Parkway, Starvaggi said.
She believes speeding is one of the roads biggest problems, particularly as drivers travel downhill.
I definitely think people are in a rush when theyre driving down these roads, Starvaggi said. Theyre probably commuting or worried about making it on time somewhere, so speeding is a concern.
Traffic posts were installed along the road over the summer, but residents say more safety improvements may be needed.
Akron could soon get a closer look at possible solutions.
The city received more than $460,000 through the federal Safe Streets for All grant program. Part of that funding will be used to study Memorial Parkway beginning in January, gather input from residents and potentially recommend changes aimed at making the road safer.
Wilson said he already has his own ideas.
I think were looking at things like roundabouts or do we need to fix the lanes or move the lanes? Do we need add more bike infrastructure, Wilson said.
Starvaggi would like to see crosswalk buttons added at the intersection of Merriman Road and Memorial Parkway, where Kelly and Snickerdoodle were struck.
She hopes the upcoming study leads to changes before someone else is hurt.
I think its a great first step because it would enable us to study what tools could actually make an impact and safer street for our neighborhood, Starvaggi said.
