Hi West 7th Folks, I just wanted to share a neighborhood safety concern with you wonderful people. I live on Lexington Parkway S and recently our street from Randolph to Montreal was part of a speed survey conducted by the city. The residents here have some concerns about the safety of non-motorized street users. The speed limit on Lexington Parkway is 30 mph, but many vehicles travel 5-10 miles over the speed limit, which may not seem like much, but it really is to the people who live, work, play, and bike here everyday. Here are the results of the speed survey that I received from Chris Tolberts office: Lexington between Albion/Vista AADT (Average Annual Daily Traffic) 6,340 Northbound Average Speed 33 mph and 85% speed (means traffic going that speed or below) 37 mph Southbound Average Speed 3 3mph and 85% speed 38 mph Lexington between Juno/Scheffer AADT 4,700 NB average 32 mph and 85% speed 37 mph SB average 34 mph and 85% speed 39 mph We have a lot of families with small children that live in this area and higher speeds are associated with higher child pedestrian injury. Traveling just 5 miles over the speed limit can result in serious injury or death. The difference in the stopping distance between 30 mph and 35 mph is an extra 21 feet, more than 2 car lengths! In the blink of an eye, the movements of a small child or family pet could be missed and something awful could occur. According to a study on pedestrian fatality risk, when vehicles hit pedestrians, 5 percent of pedestrians struck by vehicles traveling 20 mph would die, 40 percent for vehicles traveling 30 mph, and 80 percent for vehicles traveling at 40 mph (Pasanen, 1992). Navigating Lexington Parkway S between Randolph and Montreal, as a pedestrian or bicyclist when vehicles are traveling 39 mph + can be a terrifying experience, especially for my little one who is learning to ride a bike. I became really passionate about advocating for my the safety of my neighborhood after I witnessed a speeding vehicle traveling Northbound on Lexington Parkway S crash into a neighbors house. The vehicle caused considerable structural damage to the home (see picture) and I later learned that a small child was sleeping in a room near the site of impact. As a mother, that incident really resonated with me and I started writing to Public Works, Western District, and Council members. The city plans to implement traffic calming measures to discourage speeding (i.e. increased enforcement and dynamic speed signs), but that could take a while. I hope the good people of West 7th will remember my family and neighbors when using Lexington Parkway S in the future. We just want to keep our little ones and our furry friends safe. Please help us by going slow. Very Sincerely, Faith Ellen
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 02:03:56 +0000