Jackson Free Press

Early Tuesday, Nov. 30, a Gary Road Elementary kindergartener was late for school. After leaving his home at 1105 Adams St. in Byram, 5-year-old Nakeal Sterling hurriedly tried to cross the busy two-lane Mississippi Highway 473 at the Maxie Drive intersection to get to his school bus stop. Despite warnings from his schoolmates, who had safely crossed, he darted out into the traffic. One car just missed hitting him. But then, 41-year-old John Henry of Terry did strike him with his 1997 Ford Ranger pickup, killing the child instantly. Police said Henry was traveling under the 35-mile-per-hour speed limit.

There are no crossing guards to assist the schoolchildren to safely get to their bus stop at this intersection. Still, many Gary Road-bound kids cross this highway to get to the bus stop. Sterling was one of the unlucky ones. He is the third child to be hit by a car in the Jackson area since October. According to a Clarion-Ledger report, Nakeal's cousin, 2-year-old Carlie Reeves, was hit and killed on Highway 473 several years ago near the same place.

Clearly, parental oversight of children is an important factor—but so is pedestrian safety, according to the Surface Transportation Policy Project in Washington, D.C. The group reports that pedestrian safety is a big problem—for both children and adults—that has been too often ignored by state transportation departments. According to Mean Streets 2004, a report issued by the project, walking is the most dangerous form of transportation per mile—a total of 51,989 pedestrians have died in the United States over the last 10 years. The report also shows that the South sees a higher rate of pedestrian deaths than other regions of the country. Cities like Orlando, Fla., Richmond, Va., and Memphis, Tenn., all have extreme problems with street safety.

In Mississippi, 5.4 percent of traffic deaths are of pedestrians. Statewide, we have suffered 95 pedestrian deaths in the last two years. In Jackson, there have been 18 pedestrian deaths in the city in the last two years. The report found that the Pedestrian Danger Index for Jackson had increased over 15 percent from 120.9 in 1994 to 139.7 in 2002. The Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) is calculated by multiplying the number of fatalities times the number of people walking in the area. The group gets statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau's Journey to Work study, which outlines by metropolitan area how many people walk to work.

Cities like Salt Lake City, Portland, Ore., New Orleans and Austin, Texas, have all increased pedestrian safety measures. By contrast, Tim Acres, Jackson Transit division manager, said that there have been a few projects in the last five years to improve pedestrian safety in the city. "We are working on the first phase of the Little J bike trail in West Jackson that will run from Valley Street to Highway 80. Also there are bike trails designed on the Jackson Parkway being built from Jackson State University into downtown," Acres said.

Other ways that the city has attempted to make improvements has been in the sidewalks—which you may have noticed often end suddenly along certain busy streets, or are not there at all. City Public Information officer Chris Mims, said: "We are always looking for funding to help make improvements on sidewalks in the city. Also with every new road that is built in Jackson there will be a new sidewalk."

Mississippi Department of Transportation Traffic Engineer Wes Dean said that compared to other states, Mississippi does not have a big problem with keeping pedestrians safe: "We don't have much pedestrian traffic, so I don't think we have a problem with pedestrian safety in the state."

Dean also said that his department will be doing an investigation into whether or not there should be more done to ensure safety for kids in the area where Sterling was hit. "It takes several weeks to do an investigation, but we will be checking it out to see what we can do. In areas like this where it is primarily rural we usually try to put up 'Bus Stop Ahead' signs in order to let drivers know that there are children crossing in the area," Dean said. There is one sign like this much further down Highway 473 past the area where Sterling was hit.

One major reason that pedestrian safety has been such a problem in the United States, according to the report, is that there is a chronic lack of investment into road safety. Because funds are controlled by state Departments of Transportation, it is usually spent with regard for local needs, the report says. In Mississippi, only .5 percent of the $2,132,340,540 transportation funds spent from 1998 to 2003 were used for pedestrian/bicycle safety projects.
Dean said that he did not know of any projects that the state had done in the last few years that related to pedestrian safety.

Previous Comments

ID

64309

Comment

Mississippi Department of Transportation Traffic Engineer Wes Dean said that compared to other states, Mississippi does not have a big problem with keeping pedestrians safe: ìWe don't have much pedestrian traffic, so I don't think we have a problem with pedestrian safety in the state.î Which comes first -- the chicken or the egg? I can't help but feel more sidewalks would equal more foot traffic, less auto traffic... A healthier, happier Jackson, maybe? I know on Meadowbrook Road there is plenty of foot traffic, dog-walkers, bike riders, and morning strollers and many that cross this insanely busy road riddled with speeding cars. The road has 3 or maybe 4 crosswalks so many have to cross the road (in areas with no stop lights) and dodge speeding cars just to be on a sidewalk... Technically, many are jaywalking just to be safe. One entire side of the road lacks sidewalks (southern side). I'm sure Meadowbrook is not the only one. Actually, Fortification Street has the same problem... Fortunately, for them, it won't be a problem for long...

Author

kaust

Date

2004-12-08T15:03:45-06:00

ID

64310

Comment

Along these lines, check out Suburban Nation, by Duany, Speck, and Plater-Zyberk. Chapter Five, "The American Transportation Mess," dissects how we as a nation have gotten to our current state of endless sprawl, 'pods' and gated communities with senselessly curved roads, and pretty sidewalks placed in suburban developments that no one, typically, will ever use. (Because one typically doesn't walk to Walmart.) HIGHLY recommended reading. I just moved off of Fortification, so I'm not going to be experiencing the construction and redesign right outside my windows. That project is going to be a pain for everyone in the area, but from what I've seen, when it's over, it's going to be amazing... A street that is truly walker-friendly, and has actual destinations. (I've still got my money on a Whole Foods taking over Jitney 14.) More kudos to the city, though: they have been systematically repaving/replacing and widening the sidewalks along State in between High and Fortification, including consistent CURB CUTS. Those say alot. And the zig-zag sidewalk down the hill on the North side of High? Awesome. Being welcoming and accomodating to citizens with disablilties and putting a priority on pedestrian and bike activity are good signs. Now if we could sit down and get to work on Jatran...

Author

Jay

Date

2004-12-08T16:31:36-06:00

ID

64311

Comment

Forgot to add this. Suburban Nation

Author

Jay

Date

2004-12-08T16:37:14-06:00

ID

64312

Comment

Jay, we love that book. I haven't actually read it, but Todd and Stephen geek out so much over it that I know everything that's in it. ;-D

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2004-12-09T13:04:40-06:00