Archives

Archive section was begun 20 November 2008. Numerous actions precede that date, yet are not included here.

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Steps to improve local street safety
The Courier-Journal
Monday, December 8, 2008
Louisville, Ky.

The most frequently given reason many people do not ride a bicycle in Louisville is fear. The fear is legitimate. In November five pedestrians in Louisville were killed by motor vehicles. The streets of Louisville are not safe for pedestrians or cyclists.

While these facts impede the success of Metro’s efforts to encourage walking and bicycling, costly safety-enhancing re-engineering and re-constructing of streets will not occur until Louisville is out of financial crisis. Safe Streets Louisville suggests inexpensive measures to make our streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

The first measures are proactive and will reduce the number of irresponsible drivers on our streets. The aggressive ticketing of drivers with frost or snow-covered windshields and obscured license plates, coupled with random traffic stops checking driver’s licenses, vehicle insurance and vehicle registration will not only reduce the number of irresponsible drivers on our streets, but will also reduce the number of traffic collisions.

Traffic collisions are costly. Collisions consume the time and resources of our police, EMS, fire department, public works, hospitals, coroner's office, courts and many others. Every traffic collision avoided is a collision that does not require a response by police, EMS and others. Every traffic collision avoided is money in Metro’s dwindling bank account.

Beyond taking measures to get irresponsible drivers off the streets, Metro needs to begin working on an undisputed, uncontested Pedestrian Right-of-Way within three blocks of schools and parks. Children will act as children do – they dart into traffic. Adults should act like adults, and drive safely near schools and parks. Safe Routes to School programs, Metro’s $400,000 grant to fight child obesity, and many other Metro’s Health Department efforts can succeed only if we give children legal protection on our streets.

Metro should also consider the impact of other ordinances – those on the books and those that should be on the books. Consider the pedestrian approaching an intersection with no crosswalk. Should that pedestrian step out into the street and a motorist suddenly turn into the same street, killing the pedestrian, it is ruled that the pedestrian was crossing at her own legal risk outside a crosswalk, outside the protection of the law. The fact that there are many more Louisville intersections without crosswalks than with crosswalks leaves pedestrians with the choice of never setting foot off the block, or of risking crossing with no legal protection. The line is fine between refusing legal protection for pedestrians and making it illegal to cross the street at an intersection without a crosswalk.

Oh, and don’t bother trying to get a crosswalk at your corner. When Safe Streets Louisville attempted to get a crosswalk on the edge of a city park - Tyler Park – Metro Public Works told us crosswalks at uncontrolled intersections (an intersection without a light) only give pedestrians a false sense of security and result in endangering pedestrians who expect drivers to respect the crosswalk. We were informed that Public Works will not install a crosswalk at an uncontrolled intersection. No crosswalk, no legal protection, no rights. Wonder how the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution (No State shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.) informs the question of pedestrian rights?

Pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety depends upon getting irresponsible drivers off our streets and extending legal protection to all. Safe Streets Louisville challenges citizens to two actions: 1) call the Mayor and Council members encouraging Metro to get irresponsible drivers off the streets and protect our children, and 2) visit www.safestreetslouisville.org and join in the work.

by Jackie Green
Co-founder of Safe Streets Louisville, co-owner of the Bike Couriers Bike Shop
www.safestreetslouisville.org - www.bikecourier.org

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Address to Metro Council - 20 November 2008

Speaker: Jackie Green
Attending: Micki Wilcox, Josh Wilcox, Ron Schneider, James Calvert, Nathan Baldwin & SSLick

Synopsis - You will recognize this as the front page of Tuesday's Courier-Journal. The headline announces Metro Louisville's $20 Million budget shortfall. We ask Metro Council to help alleviate Metro's $20 Million shortfall while simultaneously reducing traffic casualties. Traffic collisions consume the time and resources of our police, EMS, fire department, public works, hospitals, coroner's office, courts and many others. Every traffic collision avoided is a collision that does not require a response by police, ems and others. Every traffic collision avoided is money in the bank. We want Metro Police to be proactive in avoiding traffic collisions by getting irresponsible drivers off our roads. We want Metro Police to:

* Ticket drivers with frost or snow-covered windshields.
* Ticket drivers with obscured license plates.
* Conduct random traffic stops checking drivers licenses, vehicle insurance and vehicle registration.

These measures will reduce the number of irresponsible drivers on our streets. They will reduce the number of traffic collisions, reduce the financial losses due to collisions, and reduce the number of injuries and deaths on our streets. Between October 3rd and Nov 3rd - 30 days - 5 pedestrians and cyclists were killed by motorists in Louisville. Our streets are not safe.
We need your help. If you will join this request of Metro Police, please let us know.

Thank you.