How safe do you feel crossing the street?
Dawson Barreras
By Dawson Barreras
Hillsboro City Auditor
After 32 years of living in this beautiful city, crossing the streets has yet to feel anywhere close to “safe.” While on walks with my family, I am sure to make my way out into the road by myself until I feel it is safe to wave my family on across. And by wave, I mean screaming “hurry up” and “run.”
For whatever reason, it seems that you are invisible while crossing the street. Why is this?
Just a few weeks ago while the governor was in town, a few friends of mine were almost run over by an oblivious driver not paying any attention to the road but instead looking at a digital device. The question remains, how safe are our crosswalks?
For some background, I started my term as city auditor this January. And by no means do I speak for the administration of the city, although we agree with each other about 96 percent of the time.
During the never-ending quest of trying to improve the city, the matter of crosswalks came up. A grant was made available and we applied. Luckily, we were chosen to receive the grant.
In this grant, which is available on ODOT’s website https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/projects/117314, we are able to hopefully take pedestrians from invisible to quite the opposite. If city council decides to move forward, it will allow ODOT to engineer and construct new crosswalks in the 100 block of Hillsboro. This includes re-striping, adding flashing solar-powered alert beacons, installing concrete median refuge islands and American with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps.
One crosswalk will remain at its existing location, two crosswalks will be relocated, and two others will be consolidated into a single mid-block crossing.
Now, there has been some arguments against this new project. I believe the main complaint is about losing some parking spaces in the 100 block. Fortunately, the ODOT project and the loss of parking spaces are two separate issues. The ODOT project is not going to cause the loss of spaces, it will in fact save a few.
Let me explain, the primary factor for loss of parking is to comply with Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 4511.68 which states that there shall be no parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk or within 30 feet on the approach of a flashing traffic control device.
Unfortunately, whether or not city council decides to move forward with the project, the parking spaces will still have to be eradicated. And I will speak on behalf of the entire city when I say that no one wants to have to lose parking spaces. But like everyone else, we must follow the law. Bringing the existing crosswalks into compliance with the law would result in a loss of 17 parking spaces.
If the ODOT project is accepted, we will lose 15 spaces. So, at the end of the day, the project will save a few spots.
The danger of these crosswalks has been clear for some time now. Not only have pedestrians been hit and injured, there has even been a fatality. In 2020, a man was struck inside of the crosswalk on N. High St. and was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Highland County Coroner’s Office.
If a loss of life isn’t enough evidence to fix this issue, what is?
In 2019, a local candidate for mayor struck a pedestrian inside of the crosswalk where a new crosswalk alert sign had just been installed. Even the new sign was not enough to protect this man from getting hit. This happened because there was not a clear view of the pedestrian while pulling out of the alley. These are just two of many examples of pedestrians getting hit on our crosswalks.
The safety of citizens is a No. 1 concern for the city. All of the evidence is there to support this project that is being funded through ODOT. In my opinion, we would be crazy to pass up this grant to help ensure the safety of everyone walking in our historic district. Whether it be to shop or walking to work, everyone deserves to be safe, and this will highly increase the safety for all.
Comment
Crosswalk
More patrol on the main streets would help with the crosswalks. It's not the crosswalks themselves it's the drivers who speed and don't pay attention. Start patrolling and ticketing the drivers who speed and blow through the crosswalks and maybe we could feel safe crossing the streets.
EVERYONE slow down
DO NOT walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.
The human body is no match for multi-ton vehicles. The painted lines are not magical car stopping force-fields.
Pedestrians right of way.
Yeah, Mario, lawyers have written Ohio driving laws one way while many commoners have been taught another way. “Pedestrians always have the right of way” is what many have heard their entire lives. Many pedestrians feel it is the total responsibility on persons driving the cars to keep a watch out for pedestrians and to maintain those cars slow enough to watch out for pedestrians safety first and foremost. Most especially within crosswalks with timers for walking in those crosswalks. Timers that are never set long enough for pedestrians to walk at a steady pace. But, are always set a crazy rushed hard to breathe pace. “Pedestrians always have the right of way” We can not even walk an old rural road, like our ancestors before us, without fear of being ran over by persons driving way too crazy fast to watch out for others before themselves. Like driving semi’s or gravel trucks way too crazy fast through rural subdivisions on old rural country roads.
No matter how many safety…
No matter how many safety measures are in place, driver errors are the cause of accidents. At 2:30 yesterday afternoon while sitting in the middle of town I observed 5 vehicles run through a red light, one of the vehicles was a local transportation van. So if everyone would just pay attention to what they are doing and their surroundings, maybe it wouldn't be so unsafe.
speed
How fast is "crazy fast'? I think it's important for pedestrians to make themselves visible in the streets and parking areas. I also think it's important for drivers of all ages to be aware of their surroundings. I'm not sure of the "pedestrians have the 'right-of-way' law." Marked crosswalks, yes. But a written law is not a guarantee.
96% ?
Only an Auditor would write, "although we agree with each other about 96 percent of the time." Not 95, not 99 percent of the time. An obscure number of 96? I only agree with myself 89% of the time. That other 11% is what keeps me from being as cool as what progressives think they are.
Slow everyone down.
Just my opinion. But, I have heard many, who grew up around here, complained about High Street and Main Street being given that awful preferential treatment some years back. The traffic on Main and High have gotten worse ever since. The side streets have to wait and wait and wait and wait while High and Main just barrels on through. At least, when the town had the traffic lights set up to where the side streets and High/Main had equal timing, persons were made to slow down when traveling through our hometown. So what if they do not like being made to travel slow, they need to be made to slow down. My Mom and I only travel about three times a month to town. And, if we did not have to do those errands, we would never come to town at all. Traffic is too crazy fast within the whole city limits. Recently, at 6:30 am, on North West/73 between Quaker Run and Harry Sauner Road, someone shining their extreme blinding lights in our mirrors passed us on the double line only to end up having to stop at the next red light. They sure did not get far. Let alone there is no uptown parking spots that are easy for elderly to use anymore due to all the fast driving. The only really safe parking spots that elderly could use was by the old post office, around the corner, from of the city building, that were taken away and made angled. Angle parking slots are not elderly friendly with others crazy fast driving. This sure is no longer the slow rural town we grew up around anymore.