Neighbors in Hastings say that a traffic problem on one of their residential roads is a tragedy waiting to happen.

James Street was designed as a residential side street decades ago, but has become a heavily traveled thoroughfare as drivers utilize traffic apps like Waze to pass through and avoid tie-ups on the nearby Saw Mill Parkway.

Things got so bad last year that neighbors banded together to lobby Village Hall. It resulted in assurances that a safety plan would be put in place last fall.

It never happened, so neighbors turned to News 12’s Tara Rosenblum for help. News 12 took those concerns, along with data from a recent traffic study, to the village mayor. Some of the data presented to the mayor included that 700 cars passed through in a two-hour time frame last fall.

“It is a lot, but we are looking at that data and hope to have a report within the next two weeks,” says Mayor Nicola Armacost.

Armacost claims they did consider creating a left turn ban at one point, but neighbors on a nearby block fiercely fought back.

Until a new solution arrives, parents who live on James Street say they will watch and worry as their children navigate heavy traffic on a 20-foot-wide street.