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Not even police stop for this Norfolk stop sign

Posted at 3:44 PM, May 04, 2014
and last updated 2014-05-06 17:51:07-04

Norfolk, Va. - It happens over and over and over again. Cars running a stop sign causing a dangerous situation in Norfolk. NewsChannel 3 even saw a Norfolk police officer do it!

It`s happening in Norfolk`s West Freemason neighborhood. Honored by urban planners in 2013 as one of America`s great neighborhoods. But just feet away from the urban oasis stands a crossroads of danger.

Day after day, at all times of day, people blow right through the stop sign at the corner of Tazewell and Yarmouth.

“It`s so irritating to watch them Les just going one after the other,” says Lainy Lustig.

Lainy Lustig and Jim Cox see it all the time. They watch from the balcony of Jim`s home .

”People at best usually do a rolling stop and sometimes barrel right through it,” says Lustig.

It would be entertaining if it weren't so dangerous.

Freemason is the kind of neighborhood where you see people walking, riding bikes and pushing strollers & taking advantage of the quiet atmosphere. But they are often unaware that danger can come roaring around the corner.

“They just cross the street and they have no idea how bad it is,” says Cox. “They tend to wander down the middle of the intersection and it`s dangerous when cars don`t stop at the stop sign."

Lustig says this has been going on for a long time.

Retired Admiral Jack Kavanaugh knows all about it. He`s president of the local civic association. He was nearly hit crossing the street there a couple of weeks ago.

"The car was coming along here, and I assume he`s going to stop and got to this point and he didn`t. He just zipped right through. He missed me by a foot or two,” says Kavanaugh.

"I have called the mayor`s office. I have talked to different policemen and told them how bad this corner is and no one seems to do anything. The few times they have come out here they`ll sit right there. Well if you sit right there, you`re not going to catch anybody. They`re going to see a police car there and they`re going to stop,” says Lustig.