LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The complaints continue for a Highlands intersection considered a hotspot for crime. From complaints of noise, to homicides and shootings, Highland Avenue and Bardstown Road seem to be the x marking the spot.
Now, a Highland resident is adding another complaint to the list, after she says car racing is waking her and her husband up at night.
When she and her husband downsized and moved to the Highlands a couple years ago, Lynn Bowling expected a few things.
"It's a beautiful building," Bowling said of her home. "Beautiful area to be able to walk to the parks, enjoy nature, and there's a lot of families that live through here."
She also knew there would be some late night noise since their home is close to Highland Avenue and Bardstown Road where Baxter and Bardstown intersect, and the bar scene is constantly building.
"One night in particular, there was extremely loud music until 4 a.m.," Bowling said when asked when the problems started. She said this was last year when bars began outside service because of the pandemic. "There was a DJ and they were out dancing in the streets."
Bowling said she understands bars had to get business however they could during shutdowns, but she thinks the late night partying spills out of bars, onto streets and now cars are getting involved too. She said they are consistently awakened in the middle of the night by screeching tires, revving engines, donuts, and burnouts. Bowling told us recently her husband was so frustrated he went outside to find out what was happening.
"When he walked outside, several of our neighbors in the building were awake, everyone was awaken by it cause it was just that loud," Bowling said. "When you're talking 2:30, 2 a.m., it's very annoying."
RELATED: Highlands leaders ask community for input, after third homicide on Bardstown Road this year
WHAS11 reached out to LMPD about the reports and received this statement:
"Vehicles performing burnouts and racing, particularly in residential areas, create a substantial risk to public safety. Motor vehicle collisions from this type of reckless driving are extremely common and may lead to severe injury and even loss of life. We have received complaints of racing/making noise on Bardstown just north of the Watterson Expressway in particular. We appreciate being made aware of issues near Baxter and Highland as well. Our Fifth Division officers are being informed of the matter and asked to make this a priority when they are not on calls for service."
As for a solution to this problem, Bowling said she's unsure, but thinks the idea of changing the bar hours could be a great start.
"I understand bars need the income, and people are tired of being cooped up," Bowling said. "But this is a residential neighborhood and that needs to be taken into consideration."
On Monday, Cassie Chambers Armstrong's aide, Megan Metcalf, told WHAS11 Armstrong is looking to introduce legislation that would focus on late night bar hours and rolling those hours back. There will be a community meeting on August 24 from 6-8 p.m. at the Highlands-Shelby Park Library to discuss some of the recent issues in that area.
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