EUTAWVILLE, S.C. - A kindergartner's walk to catch the school bus in the morning should not be a death-defying feat, but it's becoming one for Harold Trosper, 4, and his sister, Jocelyn Trosper, 7, according to their grandfather Harold Trosper, who has lived in the Red Bank area of Eutawville since 1999.

"I watch drivers flying through this neighborhood and wonder if one of these kids is going to have to get hit and killed before something is done," Trosper said.

He said there have been several near-misses already.

"My son was walking back from the bus stop one day when a white Jeep spun out of control on the curve, heading straight toward my son before running off the road into the woods instead. I ran towards him, but the driver managed to back the vehicle back onto the road and drove off again. It was heart-stopping," Trosper said.

Concerned neighbors agree that reckless driving in the area has gotten out of control.

"I've tried to get speeders to slow down, but the problem's only getting worse," said Chris Smith, whose son Christian, 5, also rides the school bus to St. James-Gaillard Elementary every day.

"We actually fear for our lives when we go out walking in this beautiful neighborhood," said Jeannie Schlessman, who was out walking her dog.

Bobby "Swampman" Rutland said he has pulled people out of the bog near his house with his winch on such a regular basis it could be a business, yet he said the wild drivers just keep coming.

Trosper says he's gotten the runaround from officials for months as he's made call after call trying to get someone to listen to his concerns and agree to post speed limit signs and a bus stop sign in the area, which he says is not posted.

"Everyone says it's not their job. I call one number and they transfer me to someone else, who gives me another number, who sends me to someone else once again ... who still says it's not their department. It's really frustrating, and I fear every day that these kids' lives are at stake," Trosper said.

The children wait for the school bus each morning at the corner of Riverside Drive, a scenic paved road off of Red Bank Road that overlooks Lake Marion, and Youngs Road, a curvy, winding, tree-shaded lane that is not paved.

The two roads are under different supervision, said Jim "Butch" Looper, director of roads and bridges for Orangeburg County. "We can't touch most of the paved roads as they're under state maintenance, and the state doesn't work on the unpaved roads but forwards all concerns about those to us, so it might seem like a runaround, but each department has their specific area to handle."

Looper said Youngs Road falls under his department's jurisdiction, and he agreed to look into the reported safety concerns there. After driving to the area and making a personal inspection of conditions himself, Looper reported the same day that 15 mph and 25 mph speed limit signs for Youngs Road had been approved.

"I'll forward the work order to my sign man first thing Monday morning, and he can often make a 24-hour turnaround on assignments, so this could be completed as early as Tuesday," Looper said.

Regarding Riverside Drive, Clyde Smith of the S.C. Department of Transportation office in Holly Hill said, "We accept written requests for street signs for paved roads in the area and install speed limit signs once they're approved by SCDOT District 7 Traffic Engineer Ems Baskin and bus stop signs once they're requested by the school district."

"It's always not an instant process," he added. "If we installed a sign every few feet in front of everyone's house who called, the process could be overwhelming and endless."

Smith said he understood the residents' safety concerns, however, adding that he would research to see if studies were already under way regarding safety signs on Riverside Drive. He invited those concerned to submit their requests in writing to the SCDOT, P.O. Box 635, Holly Hill, SC 29059.

Dr. David Longshore Jr., superintendent of Orangeburg Consolidated School District 3, said this was his first notification of the problem. He said the district's bus supervisor would be at the site first thing Monday morning to survey the area.

"We'll be happy to make a recommendation regarding a bus stop sign now that we know of the issue so that the DOT can do its job. Our students' safety is our first concern," Longshore said.

Smith noted that current signs leading into the area from Red Bank Road and other access points already have 35 mph speed limits posted and that that speed limit prevails until a driver passes another sign posting a higher speed.

"Any drivers going faster than 35 mph on Riverside Drive or Youngs Road today are breaking the law," Smith said. "The law's eyes are on you. Slow down."

T&D Correspondent Diane Gainer can be reached by e-mail at bcdthinktank@yahoo.com.

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