I am shaken and sorry to report that my neighbor's son was just hit by a car on Ferry Street today at approximately 5pm. The little boy looked like he would be okay going into the ambulance--he had cuts on his face, but was conscious, with no broken bones, thank goodness.
Many residents have expressed concern in the past, over the speed at which cars are able to travel through the West Ward, since many of the neighborhood's two-way streets were turned into one-way streets a few years back. Another problem, is that there are very few stop signs on Ferry Street, so cars have an opportunity to build up speed in a family neighborhood where kids play outside a lot. Also, as my neighbor James pointed out, there are no official speed limit signs posted on Ferry, so cars often whip through at much higher speeds than they should.
The other reason that residents have mentioned wanting to change the one-way streets back to two-way is that one-way streets without stop signs make an easy fast getaway for drug dealers as well. So we have two very serious safety reasons for wanting to calm the traffic in our neighborhood.
How do we, as citizens, go about getting stop signs and speed limit signs posted in our neighborhood, and what would it take to get the the one-way streets turned back into two-way streets?
Please post your comments here!
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6 comments:
I'm glad the child was okay, did the driver that hit him stop the car or keep on going? I agree with you on the lack of stop signs and think there should be a 3 way stop at every corner. Cars come barreling down South 10th and because of the angle parking, it is impossible to see if anyone is coming until you have pulled halfway out in to the street, there have been several accidents on that corner and near misses happen with regularity. I would love to see us get together as a group and ask for stop signs. I'm not as keen on the one way street idea, simply because parking is at such a premium on my block that I often have to double park in front of my house to unload groceries, etc. Not sure I could do that if the street were two way.
I can't imagine going back to two way streets. I have lived here all my life and remember a much different time when two way on these streets worked. I don't believe it would be a good idea now. I don't even want to think about someone approaching me coming the other way at the high rate of speed at which the cars are travelling these streets now! It would be, in my opinion, a difficulty for emergency vehicles and police as well. Also, the parking situation could very well pose a difficulty. Just my opinions.
i have received an email from a reader that her car was smashed into by a taxi in the same area --she suggested starting a petition for stop signs. i think this would be a good topic for our next canton meeting, so that we can figure out what steps are needed and how best to go about bringing this change to the neighborhood through local government.
Also re: traffic
Several months ago the Express Times published an editorial against the City of Easton's proposed plans to implement traffic calming along Larry Holmes Drive and Riverside Park. Gaining easier safer access to the river was actually one of the goals in the original Main Street Vision Statement that was created and drafted by residents several years ago. The ET editorial asked who would use the park if there was not a Riverport (?) bus station/condo building going to be built there (ET was in favor of that.) I was very offended by this implication that nobody lives in Easton!! I would like to write a letter to the editor taking them to task. I hope others will voice disagreement with this so called hometown paper (which also supported the prison expansion.) Mayor Panto will need to know there is support for this way of thinking that our city and its streets and its resources should benefit the people who live here and not be favoring the traffic which truly in most cases is just passing through....
What are the details about the accident? Was it the driver's fault or the child's?
The child ran out into the street without looking, as children will. My neighbor who saw the accident said the driver tried hard to avoid him and swerved sideways, glancing him with the side front of her car (not the bumper). If she had been going slower, she might not have had to swerve, but then again, driving fast up that street is the norm, because there are no stop signs for a long stretch of Ferry Street. The driver seemed genuinely concerned and upset at having struck the child--I only saw everyone after it had happened, because I heard it outside my window and went outside to see what happened. I really don't feel like the driver did anything bad, and that if we had more stop signs on the street, she wouldn't have built up much speed at all. It was just a sad accident, and one that could be avoided with traffic calming measures like stop signs.
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