Pedestrian safety solutions urged in Dewey

Residents detailed dangers faced by pedestrians and asked for solutions at the June 21 Dewey Beach commissioners meeting.

Clayton Street bayside resident April Novak said she must cross Coastal Highway to get to the ocean.

“I have almost been hit by a car several times,” Novak said. “My friend was hit by a car on Sunday.”

Novak said many adults do pay attention when crossing, but children don’t always. 

“My biggest fear is we’re going to have a child fatality and we’re going to be that town,” she said. “Let’s get away from being that town.”

Speeding is part of the issue, Novak said, although it has gotten better. Drivers are in such a hurry and aren’t paying attention, she said, noting a car that nearly hit her was so close she could see the woman in it was drinking a Coke from Burger King.

Novak suggested the town form a committee of engaged residents willing to brainstorm solutions to the issue.

Bellevue Street resident Tim Michael said he lost parking spots in front of his home as cars must now park parallel, affecting his home’s value. Speeding between 5 and 8 p.m. is an issue as cars drive up and down the road looking for a spot before dinner, he said, causing congestion and a safety issue.

Bellevue Street neighbor Doug Kennedy said parking has gotten much worse, which he anticipated when Starboard Claw opened; the corner where the restaurant now sits has been cleaned up nicely, he added.

However, Kennedy said parking procedures are inconsistent and he gets different answers when questioning different town employees. The area in front of his house is so small, he said, he often just accepts the fact that he’ll be blocked in by other cars. Kennedy said he has three children.

“I talk to them about two things,” he said. “Drugs and fentanyl, and crossing Route 1 in Dewey Beach. It’s that bad.”

The issue of inattentive drivers is not the fault of town leaders, he said, but it must be addressed.

“It’s not if it happens,” he said. “It’s going to happen unless we come up with a plan to protect these kids.”

A Bellevue Street resident who did not state her name said she saw a minivan almost hit a child on Clayton Street earlier that day. People need to be held accountable, because they don’t think they are, she said.

“I literally watched someone get hit by a car and [was] lying in the middle of Route 1 last spring before the season even started,” she said. “I watched cars flying by in the southbound lane at 60 mph with no regard for the human being lying on the ground with what could have been a life-threatening injury.”

No one’s schedule or desire to arrive five minutes early is more important than someone’s ability to cross the street and live, she said. Whether gates need to be installed at the north and south ends of town to slow drivers, something must be done because drivers think it’s a thoroughfare and it’s not, she said.

Maria Meyers of Saulsbury Street said the addition of blinking lights at crosswalks has helped, but her daughter got hit by a car and sustained serious injuries several years ago while riding her bike in the bike lane.

“[The driver] didn’t know there was something called a bike lane,” she said. “He started taking pictures of the dent in his car that he made with my daughter’s body and never said sorry.”

You can’t fix stupid, she said, but perhaps designated residential and business parking areas can be installed. Meyers said she once counted 204 cars driving up and down her street looking for a place to park for dinner.

Before public comment, Police Chief Constance Speake noted the town now has 12 full-time officers, and is able to increase speed and crosswalk enforcement. Speake said when she receives a complaint about speeding, she moves officers to enforce that area.

The department is tracking highest and lowest speeds, and the number of tickets issued to determine whether it’s a speeding or perception problem, she said, noting a car going 25 mph can appear fast to a pedestrian. Residents have requested and obtained street speed bumps via the town manager, she said.

Speed throughout town is 25 mph, she said, despite some signs that have been posted noting a 15 mph limit. A speed trailer has been placed at the south end of town as well as the north, she said, so flashing lights alert drivers entering town that the speed limit decreases.

Noting she does not yet have statistics for June, Speake said in May, officers issued 158 citations and warnings, and spent 208 hours on traffic enforcement.

At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Paul Bauer suggested forming a safety committee with input from residents. 

“It’s on the list,” said Mayor Bill Stevens.

Safety improvements

After the meeting, Town Manager Bill Zolper detailed safety improvements implemented throughout town since he came on board in 2021.

The speed limit on Coastal Highway has been lowered to 25 mph, including from Bayard Avenue south of Dewey to Chicago Street. Additional pedestrian crosswalk marking has been installed on the road before the crosswalks, and wording instructing walkers to look twice before crossing has been stenciled at all crosswalk crossings. The town will continue to trim trees on the center island to improve visibility.

A solid white line has been extended down the center of the road before crosswalks so cars don’t change lanes, and crosswalk signs have been installed on Coastal Highway’s center island and in Dewey’s north end at the King Charles Avenue crosswalks.

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Author: Ellen Driscoll