Pedestrians should exercise common sense, look
both ways and avoid sudden moves. They need to
be aware of their surroundings and give themselves
plenty of time to avoid walking into the path of an
oncoming vehicle that is too close and going too fast
to stop. It’s probably a good thing for all pedestrians to
assume that every driver out there is either impaired,
on the phone, texting, distracted by other people in
his vehicle or some combination of the above. Its also
a good idea for pedestrians to try to make eye contact
in order to see if the driver is aware of their presence.
At 45 mph it only takes a vehicle about 5 seconds to
cover a distance of 400 feet.
Another huge risk comes from vehicles approaching
a crosswalk while they are behind another vehicle
and, therefore, don’t have a clear view. If the lead car
slows or stops for a crosswalk, the following car is
also supposed to stop, but if the driver is unaware
that there is a crosswalk there, he may drive around
the stopped vehicle on the left, endangering anyone
in the crosswalk. This can also happen if the driver of
the lead car slows and signals his/her intent to turn
right just before a crosswalk, and the following car
pulls out and passes on the left. Drivers need to realize
that crossing the center line or using the left turn lane
for traveling straight ahead is not only illegal, but
extreniely dangerous. Left turn lanes, like the ones at
the Mimosa/Highway 58/Dogwood intersection, can
also create blind spots for any following motorists if
they are occupied with a turning vehicle. In addition,
while left and right turn lanes at intersections may
facilitate traffic flow, they make the road wider and
create new dangers for pedestrians who are crossing.
The town is considering several possible steps to
improve pedestrian safety, including the posting
of additional signage at each end of town alerting
motorists to the presence of crosswalks and their duty
to yield to pedestrians. This could be accompanied
by the addition of “yield to pedestrians” signs at
each crosswalk. We are also looking at the placement
of additional blinking lights warning motorists of
upcoming crosswalks and the presence of pedestrians.
The town is also considering lowering the posted
speed limit on Highway 58 to 35 mph on a seasonal
basis. However, NCDOT takes the position that
Highway 58 through Pine Knoll Shores is a 45 mph
roadway. They say we simply don’t have enough
businesses, driveways or high traffic arteries flowing
into our part of the roadway to justify a lower speed
limit. It might happen sometime in the next few
years, but probably not this summer. As a bottom
line, additional law enforcement and better driver
education efforts may be the answer, but pedestrians
and drivers alike need to be cautious and aware.
CAF Presents NC
Author Lee Smith
By Monika Bottlinger
The Carteret Arts Forum will present North
Carolina author Lee Smith on Wednesday, April 9, at
11 a.m. at the Coral Bay Club in Atlantic Beach. Ms.
Smith is a fiction writer whose 16 books and short
stories typically incorporate her roots in the South.
Ms. Smith has received many writing awards,
including the O. Henry Award, the American
Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Fiction, the
North Carolina Award for Literature and, in April
2013, was the first recipient of Mercer University’s
Sidney Lanier Prize for Southern Book Critics
Award. Smith reached a wider audience with The
New York Times bestseller The Last Girls (2002),
which was also a “Good Morning America” Book
Club pick.
This program is included in the Carteret Arts
Forum’s subscription series, and single tickets are
available for $35 ($30 for book clubs purchasing as a
group).
For information or to purchase a ticket, please
contact Tim Bradford at 240-1699. Tickets may be
purchased online at www.carteretartsforum.org.
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April 2014 I The,Shoreline 5