2nd ped hit in 7 days
A 6:42am dispatch from the Emergency Communications Center indicates that a pedestrian has been struck by a vehicle on River Road near the VFW hall. One week ago, Friday night, someone was struck on Preston Avenue.
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11 comments
Be careful crossing the street... People drive their weapons like a race car and you're always in their way! but on the bright side, if you're within a crosswalk and survive the attack you can sue them in court.
I'm a frequent pedestrian, and driver (and biker). Being a pedestrian does not absolve you from responsibility! I can't tell you how many times I've seen pedestrians at crosswalks with traffic signals, who step out into the street as soon as the light turns green for traffic. On the other hand, it's frustrating when turning cars do not yield to pedestrians who have the right of way. I believe this was the case with the wheelchair-bound man who was hit by the Albemarle police officer. Pedestrians should try to make eye contact with drivers as they cross. That way the driver can't say he didn't see you. And drivers need to pay attention. And Boo is right about the dark clothing. If you are dressed in black after dark, you are invisible to drivers.
im gonna start taking pics of people driving down the road in front of my house talking on their phones.
that's just unconscious knowledge.
It's amazing more peds don't get mowed down. Which each season's invasion of new UVa students, there's a whole new herd of cell-phone-affixed neither-way-lookers charging out in front of moving traffic, just assuming that the magic bubbles that must surround them will cause any multi-ton vehicle to bounce off them. On top of that, the drivers of said vehicles have probably just been forced to inch their way through the idiotic traffic caused by the lack of alternate north-south and east-west routes through the city (and by the generous placement of unsynchronized traffic lights at every possible intersection), and are not seeking out further opportunities to stop. Something's gotta give, and right of way or not, the laws of physics favor the things with metal bumpers.
I am constantly amazed at how all ages assume the way is clear and do NOT look both ways before crossing the street (even in a crosswalk.) Did everyone not learn this when they were age two? LOOK before you step and come on, NEVER assume that the car sees you. It is YOUR responsiblilty for looking before you walk. Little good does that "pedestrian has the right of way" do you if you are dead.
I really try and be careful about pedestrians, and I really get hot if I use a cross walk and ist blocked or the car just blows through.
OTOH, I expect people to USE the bloody crosswalk. I had to screech to a halt for two elderly people crossing the road at an entrance, when a cross walk was 15 feet away in a better place.
For a city of this size, we have much noise and traffic problems as a major metropolis. It's a bloody joke.
? so people deserve to be run over?
I've been on both sides of this issue, as both a driver and a walker. And all I can say is that there is no flipping WAY that I ever just step out into a crosswalk and "EXPECT" everybody to see me and to stop. Because they usually don't. But as a driver I've defintitely encountered the oblivious pedestrians who just step out into traffic. It happened the other morning in fact. I was on Locust Avenue, approaching the cross walk in front of Marth Jefferson Hospital - on a gloomy, dark, rainy morning - and a women dressed in - gloomy, dark black and gray colors - just stepped out into the crosswalk as I was approaching. Trusting that I would see her and stop in time, despite how fast I was going. Well I almost *didn't* see her and had to slam on my brakes. Stuff went flying everywhere in my car, but hey, I did get stopped in time. :/ Very frustrating, since I don't do that myself when I'm a pedestrian. I would never just step out in front of a moving vehicle like that on a dark and gloomy rainy morning wearing all black and gray, crosswalk or no. It's like, are you TRYING to get hit?! People act like the crosswalk is some automatic immunity against accidents or something. It's not. Drivers need to pay attention, and pedestrians need to better assess the situation before just stepping out into the road.
I've also been on both sides of this issue. As a ped, I always looks both ways twice, and always use the crosswalk or cross at the lights with the ped crossing buttons. I think the City should put more of those light up crosswalks on the streets like the one they have in front of the Omni, especially down on the Corner. As a driver, I go the speed limit when I'm driving through town. It is 25mph for a reason. And I know as both a driver and a walker that so many of you other drivers go WAAAAAY over the speed limit. I used to live on East Market where there are no crosswalks, and I know from experience that folks blaze down that road without paying any attention to people on the street. So drivers, SLOW DOWN and pay attention, and pedestrians, pay attention and cross in the designated locations.
Here's the solution, which costs money (making it unlikely in any tax-phobic southern jurisdiction):
1) Install red light cams at every intersection to nab the speeders and red light runners;
2) Enforce the speed limit on city streets and reduce all street limits to 25 (that may get people to go less than 45 on JPA Extended);
3) Pay for sidewalks on each side of every street and for ADA-compliant curbs on each corner;
4) Start ticketing jay-walkers (as well as litter-bugs);
5) Issue more fix-it tickets to drivers of one-eyed-jacks, and enforce the headlghts-on rule when it's raining and dark.
6) Install more street lights.