Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 29, 1994 TAG: 9403290066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Two weeks ago, two children were injured when they were hit by a pickup truck as they tried to cross 10th Street near Hunt Avenue. DeVaughn Hall, 8, was knocked unconscious, and his brother, Darius Hall, 6, suffered a head gash, according to their grandmother, Jeanette Manns.
"This traffic on 10th Street is getting worse by the minute," DeVaughn Hall said.
To the neighbors, there is only one solution: A traffic light. But they've been asking the city for one for more than a decade, they say.
"We've tried to get a light, but we never could get it," said Raymond Hobson, who has lived at the corner of Hunt Avenue and 10th Street for 45 years. "There's just so many cars coming in and out of that street, and they don't top the hill at 25 miles an hour like they're supposed to."
In a report completed last year by Roanoke Traffic Engineer Bob Bengtson, it was determined that the area did not meet the federal requirements for a traffic signal.
For instance, the area must have a certain volume of traffic and a particular number of accidents that could have been avoided with a traffic signal, Bengtson said. The report cites only four two-vehicle accidents since 1990. None involved fatalities or serious injuries.
Residents challenge the findings, saying that there is an accident every two or three months. Crossing the street or backing out of the driveway is risky business for anyone, they say. The problem is that vehicles crest the hill near Hunt Avenue and continue to accelerate as they head south on 10th Street, regardless of the posted 25 mph speed limit.
Lt. Ramey Bower, commander of the Roanoke Police Department's traffic bureau, said he has not been contacted about any problems in the area. The intersection did not rank among the city's top 50 accident hot spots last year, he said.
"But if there's a problem, or someone thinks there is, one that I'm not aware of, we'll give it more attention," he said.
But Manns said she has heard too many promises over the 19 years she has lived on the street. Recently she sent a letter to City Council complaining about the traffic problems and accusing city officials of overlooking them.
"Once you get under the [Interstate 581] bridge, they look at it as an economically underprivileged area, and they don't care," she said. "If we were in South Roanoke, they'd give us" traffic flashers.
City Manager Robert Herbert disagreed. "It's not who calls, but the severity of the calls," he said. "This may be as high a priority as we can deal with, when it comes to our kids' health and safety."
City officials say they have responded through the years and that the most recent traffic study indicates that. But the problem will be reviewed again, said Herbert, who has put it in the hands of Dolores Daniels of the city's Community Relations Department.
Residents say they don't need any more studies. There are enough children in the area who cross the street to get the school bus that a traffic light is warranted, they argue.
Manns said she has invited city officials to see for themselves at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday just how congested the street gets during rush hour.
"I'm not going to sit in Roanoke, Virginia, and pay my taxes and have them mow my kids down on my street," Manns said.
by CNB