House District 34 covers an area immediately south of Dover, including Camden. (If you are not 100% sure whether you live in House District 34, you can search here using your address.) If you live in this district your choice on November 3 to represent you in the Delaware House is between the incumbent Representative Lyndon Yearick and Annie Norman. Using a multiple choice format, we asked these two candidates to share their views on five statements related to traffic safety in Delaware. Representative Yearick did not respond but Ms. Norman’s answers are here:
1) I voted for, or agree with, the Truth in E-Bike Marketing Act (HS 1 for HB 439), which prohibits commercial sellers from advertising high-speed electric motorcycles using terms like “electric bicycle” or “e-bike” and requires clear written disclosures regarding a vehicle’s legal classification, power, and licensing requirements.
Norman: “Agree”
2) I voted for, or support, the recently passed HB 363, which allowed the default speed limit on streets in residential districts to be lowered to 20 mph.
Norman: “Neither Agree or Disagree”
3) Single-vehicle run-off-the-road crashes account for over a third of Delaware’s fatal crashes. To address this, I would support legislation complementing HB 363 that lowers the default speed limit on low-volume rural roads (e.g. “tar and chip” roads) below the current 50 mph threshold.
Norman: “Agree”
4) To further reduce traffic crashes on rural roadways, I support making Delaware’s rural road network more “self-explaining” using road surfaces and roadside design that convey a continuous visual message to drivers, providing more effective guidance than intermittent signage alone.
Norman: “Agree”
5) To reduce crashes at intersections, I support the use of single-lane urban roundabouts and engineering those roundabouts to be slow speed junctions, keeping vehicle speeds under 20 mph at all potential collision points.
Norman: “Agree”
6) Is there anything else about your record as an elected official, your experience or your views that you think is relevant to improving traffic safety in Delaware for the people you wish to represent in the 154th General Assembly?
Norman: “I applaud the recent implementation of 4 way stop signs, seems MUCH safer in rural areas! I wasn’t sure about roundabouts, the one on Mifflin Rd for instance is too small. The new major one in Camden is impressive! That is an improvement, although there are backups on Rt. 13 now that need to be addressed. Delawareans could use an overview (PSA?) on how to use the circles, I’m sure the NJ transplants are frustrated with us as we become accustomed to them!
Rising Sun Road, as a walker I’m frustrated that the new intersection at Stonegate has eliminated a shoulder at the southern side of the entrance. It’s a safety issue. It could be fixed by painting the lines there a little differently.
Thanks for the work that you do!”
