TODAY: Proposed Cycling Improvements in Sussex County
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16 year old killed while crossing Rt.273 on Bike Rt.1
A 16-year-old boy was killed by a hit and run driver while walking across Rt.273 on Brownleaf Road, a popular connection for the non-motorized between 2 major developments. That and another unrelated death in Millsboro in the same hour bring the number of pedestrian crashes to nine for the year, compared with two at this time last year. At this rate, Delaware will be competing with Florida for the top spot in non-motorized fatalities for 2010.
According to the Wilmington News Journal article, “Birchwood Drive resident Steve Adams said just about every one of his neighbors across the street, with homes on Del. 273, has had a vehicle run into a yard or house. One time, one even had a car run into his swimming pool. There’s never a police officer on that road, Adams said. They gun it and nobody stops them. They run that red light every day. Unfortunately, last night someone was killed”.
Brownleaf Road across this intersection is also Bike Route 1. Though it may not have helped much in this situation, it should be noted there is no pedestrian signal lighting, crosswalks, or bicycle safety features present. The in-ground trip sensor is also non-bicycle friendly. With sporadic motor vehicle presence, cyclists and pedestrians are often forced to run this light on red when no cars are present, sometimes in a near miss situation.
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3 Comments
How tragically sad. I live in that development and bike through that intersection every day. It is treacherous and the traffic light trip monitor does NOT react to my bike.
In light of all of this, what can we as cyclists do to make this intersection more safe?
It's probably going too far to say that Delaware Bike Route 1 is dangerous, but there is something seriously wrong with a state that thinks naming a hodge-podge of different roads winding erratically throughout the state a "bike route" in a vain attempt to pretend we have a real statewide bike network even though a great number of the areas are unsafe to ride. I _much_ prefer the honesty of the East Coast Greenway which acknowledges its gaps and doesn't attempt to give false hopes to cyclists. This isn't _just_ an occurrence of unsafe driving, it's a history of unsafe infrastructure choices.
There is no Delaware Bicycle Route 1 infrastructure on any kind where it crosses Rt. 273. What about elsewhere? What has DelDOT done to make "Delaware Bicycle Route 1" more than just a squiggly line on a map? How much have they spent on infrastructure to make the route more than just signs with a green oval, a picture of a bike and the number "1"?