Upping the static for Route 1 safety

In less than a week since our last editorial decrying deteriorating safety conditions on Route 1 between Five Points and Dewey Beach, another bicyclist has been struck by a motorist. In the years ahead, with Delaware’s Cape Region taking aggressive steps to become more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, the numbers of bicycles and pedestrians sharing Route 1 will only grow.

Clearly, more needs to be done to improve safety on what has become the region’s main street.

For starters, state and county officials should appoint a task force to begin implementing defensive action as quickly as possible. There are many concerns:

• In the seven- or eight-mile stretch of this heavily traveled and commercial stretch of highway, there are way too few signaled crosswalks.  In this week’s bicycle-pedestrian crash, it doesn’t appear that driver or cyclist were doing anything wrong.  There is just no safe way for pedestrians or cyclists to get across the six or eight through lanes and turning lanes at the Old Landing Road intersection.  Given safety considerations, the cost of signaled crosswalks that can be programmed to stop traffic for no more than one minute is minimal.  Between now and next summer, every major intersection in that stretch of highway should be equipped with signaled crosswalks.

• Drunken driving continues to be a chronic and contributing problem. As a society, we’ve grown less tolerant of drivers who get behind the wheel after having too many drinks.  Based on the number of alcohol-related crashes on Route 1 this summer alone, it’s time to take our tolerance level even lower.  Too many lives are at stake.

• Then there’s the problem of drivers talking on cellphones and texting while cruising down the highway at 50 mph and more. Sure, our legislators passed laws outlawing this highly dangerous behavior, but who hasn’t seen plenty of people still ignoring the laws, and risking the welfare of surrounding drivers, cyclists and pedestrians?

Cellphones, alcohol, too few crosswalks and all the distractions of a bustling commercial district?  We’re seeing the disastrous results.