Latest news with #pedestrianSafety
Washington Post
7 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Blind pedestrians sue D.C. over unsafe crosswalks
Claire Stanley often has to stand on the curb near Union Station and wait to feel the flow of other pedestrians around her, unable to read the traffic pattern of Columbus Circle. Qudsiya Naqui had to figure out how to navigate the city by avoiding roundabouts and using only perpendicular streets, doubling her walking time. And Gerald Barnes said he avoids the crowds on K Street, where he never knows how much time he has left to walk through its busy intersections. The pedestrians, all of whom are blind, are among five people suing the District, alleging that it doesn't provide enough working signals that make it safe for them to cross the street. The group is seeking a class action certification that would allow thousands of others to join. About 14,000 people who are blind or have severe vision impairment live in D.C., according to Census Bureau estimates. In the lawsuit filed Thursday on behalf of the District of Columbia Council of the Blind and the individual plaintiffs, civil rights advocates and attorneys claim that the city lacks accessible pedestrian signals, or APS — devices that provide cues using sound and other nonvisual aids, at about 75 percent of its intersections that have traffic signals. They say the failure makes roads unsafe for blind pedestrians and violates federal and local laws. 'You kind of are just playing chicken, because if you make the wrong choice, if there's no working APS, you could collide with a car, have your cane run over, or something worse,' said Naqui, 41, a lawyer living in Northwest Washington. 'It's always kind of a risky business when there isn't a good way of knowing when it's safe to cross which street.' The D.C. Office of the Attorney General and a spokesperson for the mayor's office declined to comment. The District Department of Transportation declined to comment because of pending litigation. Even among the current accessible pedestrian signals in the city, many are 'plagued by installation and maintenance issues,' according to a press release about the lawsuit. While she was recently walking up Connecticut Avenue and crossing DeSales Street, without a working accessible pedestrian signal to stop her, Naqui said, a car backing into the intersection rolled over her cane and cracked it in half. 'It just startles you if you hear one actually functioning,' Barnes, 63, of Northeast Washington, said of the signals. Some streets have accessible pedestrian signals, but then they disappear on the following streets, said Stanley, director of advocacy and governmental affairs for the American Council of the Blind. The surrounding street noise drowns out the signal volume, and if there's too big of a crowd, Stanley said, she can't reach through to touch the signals that vibrate. Michael Allen, a partner at law firm Relman Colfax PLLC, said the District has a 'program of pedestrian safety that completely excludes blind people,' which makes it a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the D.C. Human Rights Act. The city has struggled with making intersections safe for walkers: Pedestrian deaths have doubled in D.C. in the decade since the city first pledged to eliminate them. Some blind pedestrians have resorted to paying for an Uber or a Lyft at times rather than putting themselves at risk by walking, Allen said. And in other cases, because of the lack of accessible pedestrian signals, blind pedestrians have experienced being pulled back by strangers 'not necessarily appropriately,' Allen added. 'What our clients are asking for is simply an equal opportunity to safely navigate the pedestrian grid,' Allen said. 'It's time that the District of Columbia did what the law has required now, for, depending on how you measure it, decades.' Advocates have successfully brought lawsuits in New York and Chicago, resulting in orders that require the cities' intersections that have traffic signals to be equipped with working accessible pedestrian devices, said Rachel Weisberg, supervising attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. According to the lawsuit, the District programs some of its pedestrian signals to give less time than is required under national standards. Weisberg said this has a 'ripple effect' for blind pedestrians, who already need additional time to cross. They plan to seek answers from the city during litigation, she said. Attorneys are asking the U.S. District Court to issue an order requiring the city to equip intersections with accessible pedestrian signals that are 'properly installed, programmed, and maintained,' the lawsuit states. Naqui said that making the pedestrian grid safer would disrupt some of the isolation experienced by people who are visually impaired or blind. 'We're not looking for anything perfect, but just something that will really help us,' Barnes added. 'It's tough out here, but with a little bit of support … and not a bunch of lip, I think we can really come together and do some things together.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Family's joy at £200,000 transformation of junction where daughter was hit by a car
The transformation of a dangerous junction has been completed. The £200,000 pedestrian safety scheme at the corner of Thicketford Road and Crompton Way has officially opened—five years after 10-year-old Lucy Powell was hit by a car at the busy junction. The 2020 accident sparked a campaign by Lucy's parents, Nicky and Chris, to improve safety measures at the intersection. Their efforts have now culminated in the installation of full pedestrian crossing facilities on all sides of the junction. Roadworks to transform the junction got underway in March. The family joined councillors to see for themselves how it had been made safer for pedestrians. The new system, which began operating on Wednesday, includes multi-way traffic signals and upgraded traffic lights, designed to enhance both pedestrian safety and traffic flow through the area. (Image: NQ) READ MORE: Crompton Way Thicketford Road junction improved after girl runover Bolton Council chiefs vote in Cllr Nick Peel as the leader Lucy, now 15, joined her parents as the first to use the new crossing during the official opening. Relieved mum Nicky said: 'We decided to campaign to get pedestrian lights put here. There has been a lot of disruption, so we are grateful to everybody who has been very patient about that. 'We're very pleased that, at last, the pedestrian lights are available so people can cross the road safely.' (Image: NQ) Funding for the project came from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and local ward councillors through the area's devolved budget. Tonge with the Haulgh ward member and leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Nick Peel, said: 'I'm really pleased. A few years ago, we had a series of pedestrian accidents, and as ward councillors, we responded by allocating significant funds from our local devolved budget. With support from Transport for Greater Manchester, we've now delivered a major upgrade to this junction. 'It's been a long time coming, but it's here at last—and it's going to make a major difference to people's safety.' Residents welcomed the newly transformed junction saying it would make crossing the busy junction easier.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office warns of increase in pedestrian, bike crashes
The Brief The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is sounding the alarm about a rise in pedestrian accidents. Officials say there has been a 70 percent increase countywide in pedestrians struck compared to last year. They are asking pedestrians and drivers to increase awareness and improve safety practices. LOUDOUN CO., Va. - There's been an alarming rise in the number of pedestrians hit on Loudoun County roadways. What they're saying Authorities are concerned about the staggering increase in pedestrian and bike crashes across the area. The message from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office: Pay attention, drop the phone, look at the roadways and for drivers, slow down. "I always look at the eyes to make sure no one is ahead of me or in front of me. The only way I can stay safe is to make sure they're safe at the same time I'm driving," said Martha Urquia. The backstory The alert comes just about three weeks after yet another fatal crash involving a pedestrian that occurred Friday, May 9. It was the latest incident of a pedestrian being struck in the county — just one of a growing number of pedestrians, scooter riders and bicyclists who have been hit on Loudoun roadways so far this year. According to the Sheriff's Office, there has been a 70 percent increase countywide in pedestrians struck compared to this time last year. "Drivers have to be extra alert when they're driving. You have the sun coming up earlier, glare that can strike your car. We're doing everything we can do to get the message out," Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chpaman said. Local perspective FOX 5 spoke with the sheriff but also a long-time Loudoun County resident who knows families who have been affected in pedestrian-involved accidents and says the existing infrastructure could be to blame. "One of the issues we have is that our roads are rural. We have a lot of rural-type roads that have become more urban and I just think we lack a lot of sidewalks on a lot of these roads," Leesburg resident Phillip Thompson said. Law enforcement provided some quick tips for pedestrians: Only cross at marked crosswalks. Look both ways. Wait for traffic to fully stop before stepping into the roadway. The Source Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Dad of teen girl killed by Metra train in Barrington, Illinois wants to know why there's still no pedestrian gate
The father of a 17-year-old girl hit and killed by a Metra train in Barrington, Illinois, last year says his grief will never go away — and he is ramping up his fight to keep other students safe. Mike Lacson is raising new concerns about why it has taken the Village of Barrington so long to install a pedestrian gate to prevent such tragedies. Lacson's daughter, Marin Lacson, was on her way to Barrington High School on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, when she was struck and killed by a Union Pacific Northwest Metra train. Almost a year and a half later, there are still fresh flowers. Marin Lacson Family Photo/CBS But there is no pedestrian gate. "I can't believe that 15 months in, we're still asking for gates to be put up," said Mike Lacson. Lacson's interview with CBS News Chicago was the first time he spoke one-on-one about losing his daughter — and the pain that never goes away. "There's no healing for us. There's no healing from this," he said. "It's learning to live with it." Marin was a junior at Barrington High School. Like dozens of other students, she crossed the tracks at Hough and Main streets to get to school on that gray, foggy January morning last year. She waited for one Metra train to pass. When it did, she began to cross — and a train coming from the other direction hit her. "The witnesses that saw the accident — I think one of them actually said, you know, that train jumped out of the fog," said Lacson. Shortly after Marin's death, Lacson began fighting for a pedestrian gate at the crossing. Dozens in the community joined him. "We will not take excuses anymore," said Roma Khan. Khan and other activists are also fueled by the knowledge that Marin wasn't the only student hit at Hough and Main streets. Eleven years earlier, then-11-year-old Dominic Szymanski lost his foot in a similar incident. CBS News Chicago spoke to Dominic's mom last year. "I had very strong feelings about what needed to change," said Gayle Szymanski. "My answer was gates." In February 2024, CBS News Chicago asked then-Barrington Village President Karen Darch if she thought the village had dropped the ball at the Metra crossing. "I feel like it has been — we can put things place that enhance safety," said Darch. Darch said at the time that getting a gate was complicated. But officials said one should be in place by early 2025. A frustrated Lacson confronted the Barrington Village Board this past April. "You've delayed this process," he told the board. "You have delayed this process." In fact, it took until late March of this year for the Village of Barrington event o submit a petition, as is required for the project, to the Illinois Commerce Commission. Lacson said this also followed 14 months of victim-blaming. "They are actively telling people it is Marin's fault," he said, "and I'm not going to accept that, because if there were pedestrian gates there, she would still be here." Newly elected Illinois state Sen. Darby Hills lives in Barrington. "This has been an issue my constituents have been bringing up to me from day one," Hills said. Hills supports a ped gate at the crossing too. "I, again, am jumping into this, and I'm trying to find out where the missteps are, or where there's some sort of way I can help," said Hills. Lacson and his wife recently met with Marin's lacrosse teammates at what would have been one of her final games as a senior. "One more thing," he told the girls on the team. "Hug your parents." Some members of the team wore shirts in Marin's honor. Lacson said his way of honoring his daughter will be getting that gate installed — and he is going to keep fighting until it happens. "Absolutely," he said. "Absolutely." So why the delay? According to a Barrington village spokesperson, the Illinois Commerce Commission — which must improve the ped gate — recommended that all renderings and reports be completed before the project petition was submitted. The ICC will hold a hearing on the hearing on the ped gate on Thursday, June 5.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Wiltshire widower backs plans for life sentences for cyclists who kill
A widower who has led an eight-year campaign for a change in road safety laws has welcomed proposals that could result in life sentences for death by dangerous Walker's wife Diana, 76, was on her way home from a shop in May 2016 when she was hit by a cyclist in Pewsey, Wiltshire. She died in hospital on the following campaigning with other bereaved families, Mr Walker, 88, said his "dearest wish" was to spare others from going through the new laws - which could lead to cyclists who kill pedestrians facing life imprisonment - have been at committee stage and the Department for Transport (DfT) said they will be debated "in due course". Mr and Mrs Walker had only recently moved into a retirement home and he had been expecting to spend many more years with his wife, who he said was a "very fit person" and a "wonderful mother".Not only a loss to the family, he said she had been very active in the community Walker said she died the day after the incident because she was being kept on life support for organ donation."I don't want anybody to go through what I've had to go through," he said. Mr Walker welcomed the proposed law changes but said that "having to wait nearly nine years for something to happen is an absolute disgrace"."It was just to make certain that the police fully investigated an accident on the highway where a cyclist killed a pedestrian," he changes drafted by the previous Conservative government were dropped when Parliamentary business was halted following the announcement of the general election in July 2024. Updating 160-year-old laws Proposed changes to the Crime and Policing Bill mean a cyclist found guilty of killing a pedestrian could face a life sentence, while those who injure walkers could go to jail for five changes would also mean serious injury caused by dangerous cycling - or death by careless or inconsiderate cycling - could incur punishments of five years in jail, fines, or both.A serious injury caused by careless or inconsiderate cycling would result in a two-year sentence, a fine, or both, under the proposals.A DfT spokesperson said: "Dangerous cycling is completely unacceptable. "The Government is proposing new offences and penalties for dangerous cycling, updating legislation that is over 160 years old, to ensure that the tiny minority who recklessly disregard others face the full force of the law." Police treatment 'horrifying' The government has estimated that four deaths on UK roads last year were caused by cyclists."The way Wiltshire Police treated Diana's death was horrifying and it's a huge relief that police will now have to treat cycling collisions as a proper highways accident," Mr Walker Police said extensive enquires were carried out when Mrs Walker died, but an investigation concluded her death was not an unlawful killing and no action was taken against the following concerns raised by the coroner at her inquest, the force said crash investigators would be sent to all serious accidents involving cyclists in future.
