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Last Updated: Nov 14, 2008 - 12:49:26 PM |
On Friday, the scenario began much the way it has several times over the last couple of months. The sound of screeching tires, a short silence, and then a thud accompanied by the high-pitched shatter of glass – another accident just outside the Village News office. Everyone in the office is drawn to the front windows to see how bad it is this time.
The latest accident was a rear end incident. Someone had stopped to make a turn, and then a couple of cars back, a collision occurred. In this particular case, the pickup truck that was hit immediately left the scene. It looked like the young lady that hit him was having problems, so I went out to check on her. She had had the wind knocked out of her by the airbags in her vehicle. A couple of other drivers had pulled off the road and were at the car to help the girl out. She was gasping for air, and those trying to help knew she needed to be moved off the road. But traffic was barely phased. Drivers were more interested in how they could get past the accident than the safety of those involved.
The young lady was eventually moved across one lane of traffic to a safe area. She got her breath back and was okay.
West Hundred Rd. at Ecoff Ave. has become increasingly dangerous. With traffic from Ecoff, the bank on the corner, the new shopping center, and business on the south side of the road, accidents have become more numerous and more intense.
Similar situations exist on Rt. 10 from Enon to Chippenham, and on Hopkins Rd., Jefferson Davis Hwy., and River Rd. in Ettrick. But recently, as traffic levels increase on the West Hundred corridor through Chester, safety has become a huge concern.
There’s really not much that can be done with traffic. It just is. But there are ways to make the road safer, starting with a decrease in the speed limit and including traffic-calming features that wouldn’t impede traffic movement through town or cause more traffic jams, but would provide us with safer travel.
It is a commonly-known fact that a slower traffic speed does not cause traffic jams. Traffic tie- ups are caused by accidents, a posted speed reduction, or traffic signals that are not timed properly to allow the continued flow of traffic at the posted speed.
Have you ever been on I-95 between Fredricksburg and Washington? Even though the speed limit is 65, there are times when the traffic backs up for no other reason than there are just too many vehicles on the road.
Recently, several local organizations wrote letters to the Virginia’s Department of Transportation about the safety situation on Rt. 10 from Jefferson Davis Hwy. west through the village.
The letters point out that this stretch of Rt. 10 has posted speeds from 45 mph to 35 mph and carries between 23,000 and 31,000 vehicles each day and contains three schools with a combined enrollment of over 4,500 students.
The Chester Plan provides for a village concept that is pedestrian, bicycle, and mass transit friendly. The Richmond Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian study funded by VDOT also identifies Rt. 10 for additional bicycle accommodations.
My son has been riding a bike to and from work for the last couple of months due to gas prices. He rides on backstreets and illegally on the Rt. 10 sidewalks because he is not, in his words, “crazy enough to ride on that road.”
The letter continues with a solution. It states that without changing the road itself or any additional construction activity, VDOT should use pavement markings to delineate bicycle lanes by properly transitioning and narrowing the existing five 12’ travel lanes to five 10’ travel lanes. A ten-foot-wide lane is used on many roads in Chesterfield and statewide.
VDOT should then conduct a proper speed limit study after the lane narrowing to lower the speed limit from 35 mph to 30 mph. and post bicycle warning and “Share the Road” signs along the route.
The recommendations conclude that “This simple act will provide a boost to the adopted plan at minimal cost during tough times. It will also provide countless opportunities to replace short automobile trips with walking and biking. Something that we can all appreciate with gas prices breaking the $4 a gallon mark.”
As gas prices soar, and the village concept becomes a reality, it’s time to do something about road that I think is synonymous with a river without bridges that separates the village of Chester. Walking and biking will undoubtedly increase in the coming months and years. Call your bookie to get the odds on how many accidents and deaths it will take to make our roads safer.
mfausz@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421
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