Expressways not part of "walkable" neighborhood

[patric]

Neither bright street lights nor daylight were able to save three pedestrians killed on Tulsa expressways in the past two days.

Two people died Sunday night while attempting to flag down motorists on the Broken Arrow expressway near Garnett Avenue, while a third died Monday evening crossing I-44 near the Lewis overpass.

The driver of one of the two vehicles involved in Sunday's accident told police that the victims stepped into her lane out of nowhere. The second driver also had no warning.

"Don't flag down help at night," said Tulsa Police Sergeant Rick Bondy. "Don't flag down help during the day. If you really need help, if your wife is about to have a baby, I understand, but if you run out of gas, get off the roadway, walk, but be off the roadway or wait for help to come by."

Sergeant Bondy says if you have a flat, drive to the closest parking lot to change it, even if it means buying a new rim.

If you have no choice but to pull over you have two basic options. If there's a grassy area far from the highway go there and wait for help. If there's not, stay in your car for protection and wait for help to arrive. If you stay in your vehicle turn on your hazard lights and the interior lights to make yourself as visible as possible to other motorists. Drivers' reaction time is less than seconds and many of them are distracted.

Sunday's victim was carrying a bag of chips when he was struck and killed in broad daylight.  Troopers believe he was walking back from a nearby food mart.

Lighting expressways as if they were walkable city streets may also have the tragic effect of luring people into a false sense of security. With few exceptions, almost all of the fatalities resulting from pedestrians trying to cross Tulsa expressways occur within yards of working, continuous expressway lighting.

"We've seen lots of wrecks and I work right over here at the Blue Monday Laundry and we see them all the time...this has happened a couple of times," neighbor Mccarthy Mary says.

In 2003 the Tulsa City Council voted to curtail expressway lighting after a Public Works department budget indicated $70,000 would be saved by turning off expressway lighting at 10 p.m. except at interchanges.

Because of a franchise agreement with PSO, the city found that they couldn't turn off dusk-to-dawn lights early without first going to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.   Instead, the administration opted to turn off the lights throughout the night on several city expressways over a period of time.  

A few months after the shutdown, a 19-year old was struck by two vehicles on I-244 while circumventing the Lewis Avenue overpass.  While investigators found no link between the death and the darkened lights, politicians and media personalities began a crusade to find funding for expressway lighting, which eventually came from fees collected from the city's burglar alarm ordinance.    



More:
http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=137540
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=a1be0a92-0a4b-4686-8ce8-ff5a1f85bd0c

[cannon_fodder]

Freeways arent part of a walkable neighborhood.  Really?  I never thought of that.  

Actually, I can honestly say I have never walked across a freeway at night.  I've never walked across an elevated freeway in town in my life.  Never had the need.  

Why did these people pull over to the LEFT when their car broke down?  I dont get it.  Pull off to the RIGHT.  If some poor SOB was killed while changing a tire I'd be a lot more shocked, but flagging down cars from the left shoulder is not something drivers normally look for.

And do we know why the guy last night was walking along the freeway?   fairly often I see people walking along the freeway like its a pedestrian trail.  Or just sitting along the guardrail - or some jackass riding his bicycle.   Listen people, I really don't care you die doing such stupid things but think of the accidents you could cause or the poor guy who hits you.

[Johnboy976]

What kills me are those people who insist on riding their bikes on the highway, especially at night. There were several occasions where I would be driving downtown, past 9:00 PM, and have someone riding not more than ten feet from the highway itself.

[Conan71]

I heard Santa was riding on the BA again this morning.

[cannon_fodder]

I'm waiting for the day when Paul gets hit by a car and people who have no clue all rant about what a tragedy it was that a cyclist was killed.

I'd pay to see Biker Fox beat him up.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I heard Santa was riding on the BA again this morning.

He's been a pretty active vote-noer...

You're in good company.

[patric]

At the risk of sounding insensitive, that's a big bright expressway light right over the body of the pedestrian that was killed there this weekend:



http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=140048

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I'm waiting for the day when Paul gets hit by a car and people who have no clue all rant about what a tragedy it was that a cyclist was killed.

I'd pay to see Biker Fox beat him up.

Pimperor Tay is a Vet. My money is on Santa.

[cannon_fodder]

Tay is a vet?  Never would have guessed it... how much of his insanity is an act?

Anyway, Biker Fox is clearly hyped up on something.  Tay will have the form, but Fox has the heart!

[patric]

A person is dead after being hit by a car on Sunday while trying to cross the street. Officers with the Tulsa Police Department say the accident happened just before 3 a.m. around Pittsburg, just west of Yale on I-44.

Police are investigating the accident, but say it appears 21-year-old Christopher McKinney was walking south and successfully crossed the westbound lanes if I-44. Police say when he tried to cross the eastbound lanes, he was struck by a vehicle in the inside lane.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=8090090

Even KOTV cavalierly refers to jumping highway barriers to bolt across an expressway as "crossing the street."
No wonder no one takes it seriously.

[booWorld]

quote:Originally posted by patric

Even KOTV cavalierly refers to jumping highway barriers to bolt across an expressway as "crossing the street."
No wonder no one takes it seriously.

The Tulsa World reported it as crossing a highway.

This is very serious and extremely dangerous.  I came close to hitting someone running across I-44 once.  Drivers aren't expecting to see pedestrians on expressways, especially at 3:00am.

[DolfanBob]

Tay and Fox. What a local PPV that would be.
Uhhh "Lets get ready to Rumble"

[patric]

Linked to from topic:

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=15814.0
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=4110.0