Ft Story officially restricted to Military ID carrying cyclists/pedestrains only

From Pilotonline.com:

Three historic areas on the base will remain open to the public, Mohr said, including to bicyclists: Cape Henry Lighthouse, the adjacent memorial park and the historic villages.

Previously here.

Thanks to OceanCity.com for following our Twitter feed!

OceanCity.com:

OceanCity.com boasts the largest, most active online community dedicated to all things Ocean City. Find a wealth of traveler and local tips.

Undoubtedly travelers who visit Ocean City also visit Virginia Beach and this will allow SSDD to reach out to those travelers to share Shore Drive a little safer.

Thanks OceanCity.com!

One more safer driver for SD- an email exchange

Email from me:

please do not speed on shore drive

especially at night when it's raining.

you might not have realized it but you flew past me like i was parked a few minutes ago.

thank you.

The reply:

Sorry Tim, not an excuse, but it had been long day. Didn't realize I was speeding, that being the case, obviously I wasn't paying proper attention. Thanks for the reminder!

Sincerely,

XXXXXX

This person was driving a vehicle with their website, business, etc posted all over it.
I assumed they didn't realize how fast they were driving so I emailed them.

Please - everyone share the road safely!

Battling childhood obesity

From Hampton Roads Cyclist:

“Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation” is a sobering report to say the least.

From CDC Transportation Recommendations:

# Physical activity and active transportation have declined compared to previous generations. The lack of physical activity is a major contributor to the steady rise in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other chronic health conditions in the United States.
# Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of injury-related death for many age groups. Pedestrians and bicyclists are at an even greater risk of death from crashes than those who travel by motor vehicles.
# Many Americans view walking and bicycling within their communities as unsafe because of traffic and the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bicycle facilities.

WalkingInfo.org, funded by FHWA, "Crossing the Street is Dangerous"

From walkinginfo.org:

The street crossing experience comes down to the behavior of the pedestrian and the motorist as well as the design of the intersection or crossing. The behavior of motorists (whether, and how, they stop for a pedestrian) is influenced by a variety of factors, including the speed at which they are traveling. A motorist traveling at a slower rate of speed has more time to see, react, and stop for a pedestrian than someone who is going fast.

The article includes several sections about how to improve roads:

• Improve crossing visibility
• More than a marked crosswalk may be needed
• Intersections with existing traffic signals
• Intersections with existing STOP signs
• Locations without traffic signals or STOP signs
• Improvements to Marked Crosswalks
• Mark crosswalks with highly reflective material
• Raise the crossing above street level
• Narrow the roadway
• Improving signs and/or lights or signals in advance, or above the crosswalk
• Install or improve traffic signals

... and much more.

About WalkingInfo.org:

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) is a national clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement, access, and mobility for pedestrians (including transit users) and bicyclists. The PBIC serves anyone interested in pedestrian and bicycle issues, including planners, engineers, private citizens, advocates, educators, police enforcement, and the health community.

The site is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, FHWA.

We've put WalkingInfo.org in our list of Elsewhere links as it's a terrific resource to improve sharing the road safely.

A community service idea driven by people's actions

Inspired by a call to accountability and a recent court decision where a driver was found guilty of their infractions, yet was only given driver training comes an idea a Judge can require.

Community service for all offenders that have moving violations while driving, public intoxication, etc.

How would it work?

If someone is found guilty, pleads guilty, pays the fine - guilty - for any moving violation on Shore Drive or roads intersecting it, they are also required to perform "x" number of hours of community service on top of retaking driver training classes.

Community service based on best practices so they are performed safely :

1. Perform crossing guard duties. [As in, helping adults not children at schools, safely cross SD.
   
2. Speak at Churches, as example, or where requested about a program that encourages safe sharing of SD & the info on how to do that.
   
3. Attend certified cycling training and help spread the word about the importance of safe cycling.

Those are but 3 examples of community service people who violate certain laws would be required to perform.

Post your ideas in the comment section below to continue this idea.

Please come out to CP Shuckers to Save Lives on Shore Drive on Thursday, June 3 from 6-10 to support those who have lost their lives and to save lives

You can check out more at the Facebook Event page:

Date: Thursday, June 3, 2010
Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: CP Shuckers, Shore Drive

More events are planned to increase awareness to safely share Shore Drive.

Join us May 11th at 1pm at First Landing State Park for SDSI2010 Meeting

From Dave:

Shore Drive Safety Initiative 2010 meeting tomorrow, Tues 11 May at 1 PM to be held at First Landing State Park Visitor's Center. The Visitor's Center is located on the Chesapeake Bay side off of Shore Drive. Take your first left after entering park. The Conference room is located on the left side (south side) of the building past the office's main entrance. You should not be charged an entry fee if you mention that it is for a Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) meeting. This meeting will serve as the initial framework for an action plan and time-line to improve the safety along more of Shore Drive for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. If all interested and concerned parties can combine their efforts towards achieving this goal, much can be accomplished.

I thank you ahead of time for your efforts on behalf of all our residents and visitors.

David Williams
Chairman SDSI 2010

From Pedsafe, Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers & Pedestrians

See “Pedestrians most at risk”:

Moreover, some older pedestrians have diminished physical and visual abilities that make street crossings more challenging. In recent years, an emphasis has been placed on improving the design criteria used by engineers to ensure that the needs of all users are being met; the Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians is one resource.

Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians

The proportion of the population over age 65 is growing significantly. Older road users can be expected to have problems driving and as pedestrians, given the known changes in their perceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor performances, presenting many challenges to transportation engineers, who must ensure system safety while increasing operational efficiency.

This Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians provides practitioners with a practical information source that links older road user characteristics to highway design, operational, and traffic engineering recommendations by addressing specific roadway features. This Handbook supplements existing standards and guidelines in the areas of highway geometry, operations, and traffic control devices.

Military ID required to enter Fort Story even while cycling

Saw several emails with people being turned away without having Military ID.