I've been interested to see a lot of discussion lately about pedestrian safety, and it looks like a program of sorts is planned to try to push down the pedestrian fatality numbers here in Delaware, which are way too high. Pedestrian education seems to be the main focus. And it is needed. But I think driver education... and enforcement... would do even more good.
It seems to me that there is a bit of a war going on between Delaware motorists and pedestrians. Motorists seem soundly convinced that they own the roads, and that pedestrians need to just keep out of their way.
Example: I just about got run down... again... trying to cross Lancaster Avenue at Union Street. The light changed, the green "walk" signal came on, and I had just made the first step into the intersection when a car came barreling around the corner, making a left turn onto Lancaster, nearly knocking me over. No lie, it was inches from hitting me and going fast. This happens all the time, all over Wilmington. Police officers are sometimes nearby, but never once have I seen a driver pulled over for violating pedestrian right-of-way.
And a lot of motorists seem to be unaware that pedestrians even HAVE a right-of-way. A couple times, when a driver who's just nearly hit me pulls in to park, I've approached them and asked why they did that. In every case, they cited completely incorrect ideas about what their legal responsibility was, as a driver, to accommodate pedestrians. They really seem to believe that the pedestrian's responsibility is to dodge their car, that as a motorist they pretty much own the road. Their level of ignorance was scary. But then, nobody they know has ever been ticketed for endangering a pedestrian, so how would they know?
I spoke to a Wilmington PD officer at a WILMAPCO event a month or two ago, a really nice guy. I asked him about department stance on enforcing such violations, and he admitted that there essentially was zero focus on this. Not even on their map. He agreed that it was a problem, as did some other people standing around. But the consensus was that we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for pedestrian safety help from the Wilmington PD.
Now, I believe this is one of several things leading to much of the scofflaw type behavior we see from Wilmington pedestrians. Drive up Fourth Street, between the freeway and Union Street, for instance, and you'll likely see a lot of people jaywalking, just walking into the street wherever, dodging between cars to cross the street. I know drivers get really annoyed by this behavior. And I think somebody was killed recently, doing that. But from the point of view of a pedestrian, I kind of understand.
The pedestrian thinks, "I get no help at all from the traffic police. Even when I'm crossing legally at a crosswalk I get menaced and practically run over by jackass drivers. So why should I follow the rules? Screw 'em." They put themselves at risk, but I'm afraid I get where they are coming from.
Another problem, especially as you get out of the downtown area, is that in a lot of places there really are very few marked crosswalks. We need more marked crosswalks. If somebody has to walk an extra quarter mile or more to cross at a crosswalk, that person is very likely to cross where there is no crosswalk. I know because I do it too, although I am careful to do it when traffic is clear both ways.
A good friend of mine was badly injured crossing Greenhill Avenue a few years ago. She bus she needed to take to work was coming, so she crossed where there was no crosswalk, after checking traffic in both directions. Unfortunately, an oncoming car did not stop at a red light/stop sign (can't remember which), and hit my friend. There was a witness to affirm that the driver ran the red/stop sign, but my friend was ticketed, to add offense to injury.
Too many bus stops are located far from any crosswalk. This is just poor planning. Either put in a crosswalk, or move the bus stop. Duh. For a long time, the park-and-ride at the Christiana Mall was located outside the circumference road, but there was no crosswalk allowing people to cross from the park-and-ride to the mall... you had to dodge traffic on the circumference road. And during the holidays, the park-and-ride was the only stop you could use. There are many, many other bus stops like this, where you have to either cross illegally, or walk a considerable distance to a crosswalk, and then walk back to the bus stop.
Things are better here in Wilmington that out in the County, of course. How many areas have bus stops, but no sidewalks, so that when it's muddy or there is snow on the ground, you have to walk in the street... or highway... to get to the stop? Hundreds. And even where there are sidewalks, are they cleared after it snows? Or do they become a horrific icy mess, so that you have to walk in the highway or street anyway?
So... tell me how much the planners for New Castle County and Wilmington care about pedestrian safety. About having the kind of "walkable communities" that the city, county, and state leaders pay lip service to.
If the officials of this State really want to improve pedestrian safety, and make our communities pedestrian friendly, they need to do a lot more than just talk about it and start some lame program to educate pedestrians. They need to start at the planning level. They need to educate drivers, and make sure that there are enough citations given for endangering walkers that a clear message is sent.
Oh, yeah, and they need to replace the crosswalks that have been removed and not replaced - at places like the intersection of Fourth Street and Bancroft Parkway, for example. We need more crosswalks, not fewer.
It seems to me that there is a bit of a war going on between Delaware motorists and pedestrians. Motorists seem soundly convinced that they own the roads, and that pedestrians need to just keep out of their way.
Example: I just about got run down... again... trying to cross Lancaster Avenue at Union Street. The light changed, the green "walk" signal came on, and I had just made the first step into the intersection when a car came barreling around the corner, making a left turn onto Lancaster, nearly knocking me over. No lie, it was inches from hitting me and going fast. This happens all the time, all over Wilmington. Police officers are sometimes nearby, but never once have I seen a driver pulled over for violating pedestrian right-of-way.
And a lot of motorists seem to be unaware that pedestrians even HAVE a right-of-way. A couple times, when a driver who's just nearly hit me pulls in to park, I've approached them and asked why they did that. In every case, they cited completely incorrect ideas about what their legal responsibility was, as a driver, to accommodate pedestrians. They really seem to believe that the pedestrian's responsibility is to dodge their car, that as a motorist they pretty much own the road. Their level of ignorance was scary. But then, nobody they know has ever been ticketed for endangering a pedestrian, so how would they know?
I spoke to a Wilmington PD officer at a WILMAPCO event a month or two ago, a really nice guy. I asked him about department stance on enforcing such violations, and he admitted that there essentially was zero focus on this. Not even on their map. He agreed that it was a problem, as did some other people standing around. But the consensus was that we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for pedestrian safety help from the Wilmington PD.
Now, I believe this is one of several things leading to much of the scofflaw type behavior we see from Wilmington pedestrians. Drive up Fourth Street, between the freeway and Union Street, for instance, and you'll likely see a lot of people jaywalking, just walking into the street wherever, dodging between cars to cross the street. I know drivers get really annoyed by this behavior. And I think somebody was killed recently, doing that. But from the point of view of a pedestrian, I kind of understand.
The pedestrian thinks, "I get no help at all from the traffic police. Even when I'm crossing legally at a crosswalk I get menaced and practically run over by jackass drivers. So why should I follow the rules? Screw 'em." They put themselves at risk, but I'm afraid I get where they are coming from.
Another problem, especially as you get out of the downtown area, is that in a lot of places there really are very few marked crosswalks. We need more marked crosswalks. If somebody has to walk an extra quarter mile or more to cross at a crosswalk, that person is very likely to cross where there is no crosswalk. I know because I do it too, although I am careful to do it when traffic is clear both ways.
A good friend of mine was badly injured crossing Greenhill Avenue a few years ago. She bus she needed to take to work was coming, so she crossed where there was no crosswalk, after checking traffic in both directions. Unfortunately, an oncoming car did not stop at a red light/stop sign (can't remember which), and hit my friend. There was a witness to affirm that the driver ran the red/stop sign, but my friend was ticketed, to add offense to injury.
Too many bus stops are located far from any crosswalk. This is just poor planning. Either put in a crosswalk, or move the bus stop. Duh. For a long time, the park-and-ride at the Christiana Mall was located outside the circumference road, but there was no crosswalk allowing people to cross from the park-and-ride to the mall... you had to dodge traffic on the circumference road. And during the holidays, the park-and-ride was the only stop you could use. There are many, many other bus stops like this, where you have to either cross illegally, or walk a considerable distance to a crosswalk, and then walk back to the bus stop.
Things are better here in Wilmington that out in the County, of course. How many areas have bus stops, but no sidewalks, so that when it's muddy or there is snow on the ground, you have to walk in the street... or highway... to get to the stop? Hundreds. And even where there are sidewalks, are they cleared after it snows? Or do they become a horrific icy mess, so that you have to walk in the highway or street anyway?
So... tell me how much the planners for New Castle County and Wilmington care about pedestrian safety. About having the kind of "walkable communities" that the city, county, and state leaders pay lip service to.
If the officials of this State really want to improve pedestrian safety, and make our communities pedestrian friendly, they need to do a lot more than just talk about it and start some lame program to educate pedestrians. They need to start at the planning level. They need to educate drivers, and make sure that there are enough citations given for endangering walkers that a clear message is sent.
Oh, yeah, and they need to replace the crosswalks that have been removed and not replaced - at places like the intersection of Fourth Street and Bancroft Parkway, for example. We need more crosswalks, not fewer.
