Portsmouth City Council last night followed the lead of their Virginia Beach counterparts in imposing a ban on fundraising and other solicitations by individuals standing in the medians of busy intersections. The move, reports the Virginian-Pilot, was prompted by safety concerns and what "Portsmouth police estimated (to be) a tenfold increase in the number of solicitors" at intersections since the start of 2009.
Encouragingly, Hampton Roads cities are enacting bans on in-median solicitations even though the region already does a relatively good job of protecting pedestrians. The independent Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership just reported in Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths that, taken together, Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Newport News ranked in the top fifteen of the safest U.S. regions for pedestrians.
The report, whose findings were highlighted in the Nov. 10 Virginian-Pilot, also noted that 39 people were killed while walking or standing along Tidewater roadways during 2007 and 2008. Statewide, Virginia saw 286 pedestrian fatalities during the reporting period.
So, obviously, much work remains to be done to keep pedestrians safe. City Council members in Virginia Beach and Portsmouth have taken important steps in keeping people out of harm’s way by banning solicitations in traffic medians and at red lights. Despite these new restrictions, though, pedestrians and drivers will still need to take responsibility for avoiding accidents.
My colleague John Cooper posted an excellent list of rules for pedestrians on this blog a few days ago. I will take this opportunity to offer the following advice to drivers:
- Check for pedestrians or bicyclists on all corners when approaching an intersection or parking lot.
- Stop behind and in front of any bus taking on or letting off passengers, especially school children.
- Do not block crosswalks when stopping at red lights or stop signs; blocking a crosswalk can force pedestrians and bicyclists to veer into the path of on-coming traffic.
- Understand that people in a crosswalk always have the right of way.
- Do not speed.
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, whose attorneys work out of offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
EJL
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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