By Tomika Reid | Posted May 25, 2023
Imagine moving to a new state, a new city, a new neighborhood where the schools are great, the shopping center is near, and the people are nice—then one day you hear your daughter was hit by a vehicle while trying to cross the street.
A pedestrian stands on the Route 206 blacktop in May, near the spot where a Montgomery woman was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident in March while attempting to cross the road.
The street was Route 206, just north of Route 518 in the Skillman section of Montgomery Township. And, the driver continued to proceed to drive away, leaving my daughter badly injured and prostrate, stretched out upon the road.
At this point, you are devastated by the news, unaware of how much bodily harm was done —thinking the worst, yet hoping for the best. When you find out about the injuries she has sustained—you begin to pray because only God can pull her through this.
Then, you thank God for saving her life when she could have lost her life. And now, to think, “How could someone hit a person and keep going like it was nothing? What was on their mind, in their heart, after this accident occurred? Did they stop to think whether the person they hit was badly hurt, whether she survived? Did the victim have the strength to call 911 for help?”
The only thing next was to rely on witnesses and traffic cameras to see how it all happened, and who was to blame. Come to find out, there weren’t any witnesses. How helpless is that? A residential and busy shopping area where buildings and businesses are being built in abundance, and no traffic cameras?
It is shocking. In a community where there is constant growth—thousands of new people moving in to new residences, and businesses opening up their doors—there should be traffic cameras and safe walkways for those who are walking from the homes over at Hartwick and Village drives to the ShopRite, pizza places, and other shops.
Article continues after ad from our sponsor.
What about those who don’t drive and don’t have a choice but to walk over to the shopping areas? Why is no one thinking about the people who make up the community. Our community deserves cameras, crosswalks, walkways, and pathways for those who don’t have a car to get around. [And for those who actually like to walk.] Pedestrians should not have to risk their lives when walking, pushing their child in a stroller, riding their bikes, traveling in wheelchairs/scooters, and pushing shopping carts on the street.
While Montgomery Township continues to build out, officials and developers need to think of the people too. Build a safe walkway, add traffic cameras, and put Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons on the roadways so drivers know in advance that pedestrians are nearby.
And, for the drivers who chose not to stop for the pedestrian, and if one gets hurt, they should be caught on camera and held accountable for their actions. This is a community where people pay taxes, and the necessary equipment or walkway/ pathway should be put in place to help keep pedestrians safe when crossing a busy road such as Route 206.
Think about it. What about the pedestrians?
