Pedestrian Shaming in Charlotte

[nicholas]

Are we ever going to start enforcing basic rules of the road again?  (Other than "speeding" on 485 where enforcement benefits absolutely nobody).  I grab a drink and sit on that patio once a month or so, and it is astounding how many cars pass by at night with no lights on (or highbeams on at all times), dented body panels from crashing into other cars, etc.

Last Thursday I saw a Cadillac Escalade crash into a Mercedes crossover on Caldwell St across from the Midnight Diner.  The CMPD officer literally parked across the street was slooooooooow to react, even as the Escalade driver attempted to escape through the gravel parking lot across from the Hyatt House.  I had also just witnessed the same Escalade crash into the median a block before at the 4th St intersection.

Edited March 25 by nicholas

[videtur quam contuor]

As my insurance agent told me years ago, at any time about 25% of the cars and drivers on the road should not be there due to some lapse in licensing, inspection, insurance, tag date, illegal operation, use and contents of vehicle and other established judgment failures. At night the number increases and on weekend nights that percentage goes WAAAY higher.

edit: Rideshare (uber/lyft) reduce bad driving and consequences. Including fatalities:

https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/doi/10.1162/rest_a_01385/117898/Uber-and-Traffic-Fatalities

Edited March 25 by videtur quam contuor

[KJHburg]

and then walking uptown saw this signal knocked over also on Tryon.  However while I was eating lunch it was put back up.    That is 2 I saw on South Tryon St today! 

[go_vertical]

Can't help but think both of those were caused by the same driver.

[kayman]

On 1/23/2024 at 12:44 PM, kermit said:

Wrong thread but…

this list is from Condé Nast. Lots happening here but it is 100% bullcrap to say Charlotte is more walkable than Baltimore (among other things — Pittsburgh ain’t a great place to walk, no New Orleans?)

it is interesting that one of the biggest travel publishers in the world is suggesting that Charlotte is walkable however.

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/most-walkable-cities-in-the-us

Believe it or not, the list makes sense. I travel a lot throughout the year for my work and leisurely excursions to other cities.  Charlotte does have a very walkable urban core area and surrounding neighborhoods for a major city in the Sunbelt & South.

Is Charlotte perfect? No, but if you're visiting you can walk with a good pair of walking shoes around most of the intown places of interest within in the urban core areas or within reach of the LYNX Blue & Gold Lines walksheds.

Austin & Atlanta are alright to visit but generally speaking they aren't as walkable to me nor urban explorer nerd/traveler friends. We have to have a private vehicle to get around both places.

Two of them were here last fall without a vehicle for 3-day weekends. Both said they actually were pleased with our pedestrian, and multiuse pathways infrastructure. Per their words, we do have apparently advantages on our walkability front.

Edited March 26 by kayman

[Nathan2]

Is Charlotte ever going to redesign its streets so they are safer for all users? Some of the most walkable areas in Charlotte are overrun with cars and wide roads, the only thing that will make these places better is redesigned streets. It's absolutely frustrating that the City continues to do almost nothing on this front. They continue operating on the idea that pedestrians should just wear hi-viz and watch out for cars. God for bid drivers have to tale an extra 20 secs to travel somewhere. 

[kayman]

12 hours ago, Nathan2 said:

Is Charlotte ever going to redesign its streets so they are safer for all users? Some of the most walkable areas in Charlotte are overrun with cars and wide roads, the only thing that will make these places better is redesigned streets. It's absolutely frustrating that the City continues to do almost nothing on this front. They continue operating on the idea that pedestrians should just wear hi-viz and watch out for cars. God for bid drivers have to tale an extra 20 secs to travel somewhere. 

I'm still working on advising the NCDOT to fully embrace the pedestrian scramble concept in urban areas beyond the "trial intersections" Chapel Hill aka in the Triangle. We ought be allowed to put pedestrian scrambles at any intersection of two or more city-maintained, local street or collector roads. NCDOT should be open to allowing pedestrian scrambles on any intersections where state-maintained roads that go into high density areas where the roadway speed is lowered to 35 mph or less.  This recommendation which would practically cover all of our intown districts in Charlotte and most of our suburban and regional exurban town centers. This policy measure should be encouraged by the municipalities on any privately maintained streets in any large, mixed used planned unit developments (PUDs).

[JHart]

22 hours ago, Nathan2 said:

Is Charlotte ever going to redesign its streets so they are safer for all users? Some of the most walkable areas in Charlotte are overrun with cars and wide roads, the only thing that will make these places better is redesigned streets. It's absolutely frustrating that the City continues to do almost nothing on this front. They continue operating on the idea that pedestrians should just wear hi-viz and watch out for cars. God for bid drivers have to tale an extra 20 secs to travel somewhere. 

I think the north side is getting a little attention at least. The Plaza and Parkwood road diets have made a very noticeable difference in speed and I would even say improved traffic flow. If they just poured concrete bike lanes instead of planters and plastic barriers it would have been a home run. Matheson is next, still like 2 years, but it is going to be such an incredible difference. The N. Davidson and Jordan Place intersection should be the model for all intersections in the city and not just because of a XCLT trail running through. They extended the concrete pedestrian islands deep into the intersection to force drivers to slow and make sweeping turns and also to shorten the walking/biking distance to cross and it makes this intersection such a massive improvement.  

[kermit]

It was reported that none of the other crossing guards in Fort Mill showed up for work today. I can’t imagine why anyone would do that job after the local police declare it to be open season on your profession. 

 

 

Edited March 28 by kermit

[tozmervo]

Edit: there's a whole video.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLkSPu2x/

Edited April 1 by tozmervo

[CLT2014]

On 3/28/2024 at 8:52 AM, kermit said:

It was reported that none of the other crossing guards in Fort Mill showed up for work today. I can’t imagine why anyone would do that job after the local police declare it to be open season on your profession. 

Some more info came out from the Solicitors Office on their decision... Apparently there was video footage captured from a school bus and witnesses did not report the driver speeding. The crossing guard was standing in the median and holding his stop sign facing east when he stepped backwards into the north bound lane without looking and his stop sign perpendicular to the driver still facing east. The school zone speed limit there is 30 mph and the impact was almost instant as he stepped back in front of the car. 

The town is lobbying to have the school zone speed limits further reduced to make it more likely a situation like this would have the crossing guard walk away with a lower impact. 

Edited April 1 by CLT2014

[nicholas]

6 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

Some more info came out from the Solicitors Office on their decision... Apparently there was video footage captured from a school bus and witnesses did not report the driver speeding. The crossing guard was standing in the median and holding his stop sign facing east when he stepped backwards into the north bound lane without looking and his stop sign perpendicular to the driver still facing east. The school zone speed limit there is 30 mph and the impact was almost instant as he stepped back in front of the car. 

The town is lobbying to have the school zone speed limits further reduced to make it more likely a situation like this would have the crossing guard walk away with a lower impact. 

Who is going to slow down when the road looks like this?  That looks like 65+ mph would be a more than comfortable speed to drive at.

[CarolinaCrown]

Just put in a light, similar to the fire station lights that are used only when they exiting for an emergency. Why have crossing guards in the first place. No one is walking to elementary/middle school here

[videtur quam contuor]

https://www.ft.com/content/9c936d97-5088-4edd-a8bd-628f7c7bba31?accessToken=zwAGFnJtT4Y4kdOck22XUIhO3dOovWKPfHu6MQ.MEUCIBkfu5DL_JKcrv8OdlpB5PngLDlwuzURI8dyxjgeKu4rAiEAoY4QysRo2BqGMLG7tYej43V8PKmM5m5YIt2LXzlzl1A&sharetype=gift&token=bc9cc6e0-4532-44d4-a75d-2752c850cfc6

Pedestrian deaths are due to...mobile phones. Also visibility, time of day, and in general, incompetent driving. Yet the phone connection is a specific factor.

[KJHburg]

that is why I like these planting strips to get pedestrians further away from the street.  Plus the shade and temperature on this side of the street had to be 10 degrees less.  South Tryon St across from the Vantage Southend.