A 27-year-old up-and-coming manager at Barnes and Noble at New Hope Commons was struck and killed by a car as he attempted to cross U.S. 15-501 at Mount Mariah Road. A young life was cut prematurely short, a promising career abruptly ended. "There's no reason to think this guy couldn't have gone very far with this company," Dave Brown, B & N's regional manager, told my colleague Keith Upchurch.
But this truly sad story struck me not just because of this tragedy, but because I've been thinking a lot lately about the pedestrian-hostile environment we have created and sanctioned in this region.
Coincidentally, I first thought about this even before I had moved back to Durham -- at the 15-501-Mount Moriah intersection. Spending a couple of nights at a hotel in the area in late 2004, as part of a transition team preparing for the ownership change at The Herald-Sun, I was up before daylight for a jog.
A bit unsure where I was, as so often happens when you're on the road, I took off on a route that in a few moments had me at that intersection. I waited for a green light, and then sprinted across the eight traffic lanes, thinking, good heavens, this is one dangerous place for a pedestrian.
Dangerous, yes. Unique, no.
What had me thinking about this, before the tragedy last week, was a road I drive twice a day, most days, on my commute to and from work. I travel Shannon Road, which between Martin Luther King Drive and University Drive looks like a pedestrian's or bicyclist's view of hell. And if driving it didn't remind me of that, a mid-day jog along that stretch of road reinforced it.
The road is narrow. It has no curbs, no gutters, no shoulders in many places. Traffic seems to slingshot through downhill curves at speeds well over the posted limit. Busted, uneven pavement adds to the excitement.
Jogging, I was forced well off the road into an unwelcoming ditch. I see many times a week pedestrians I take to be residents of the well-kept apartments on either side of the street edging along that stretch, sometimes with babies in strollers, as cars speed by inches away.
These are not unique situations. (In fact, I'd love to hear your suggestions for the most pedestrian-unfriendly roads in town.)
Our offices on Pickett Road are less than a mile from the South Square Target -- not to mention a McDonalds. The few times I've tried to walk, or persuade others to walk, to one of those places, it has been an exercise in risk-taking.
My colleague, Ron Landfried, a couple years ago tried biking to our office from his home near Duke's East Campus.
"The worst part was along Pickett Road ... no shoulder and potholes that force you to swerve to the left into the path of traffic," Landfried shared in an e-mail. "On the other hand, some of the ride is quite pleasant, probably because it's through campus and Duke has done a pretty good job with bike lanes. We're at a midpoint where there are enough bike lanes to lure you out there, but then the bike lanes run out and you're inches from passing 18-wheelers."
That pretty well sums up where we are. "Share the Road" signs do not a pedestrian- or bicycle-friendly environment make. Encouraging people to walk and cycle more both helps their health and the health of the planet.
The city has a pedestrian plan, and hearts are in the right place. Unfortunately, this is not an environment to talk about new expenditures.
New roads include better bike and pedestrian access. The newest stretch of Martin Luther King, for example, is a virtual paradise with sidewalks and dedicated bicycle lanes.
But until we get serious about improving the miles of roads and streets in or city that all but repel walkers and riders, we'll be stuck with pedestrian routes that are not only discouraging, but also fatal.
Bob Ashley is editor of The Herald-Sun. Contact him at (919) 419-6678 or by e-mail at bashley@heraldsun.com
