The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Neighborhood activists and those who lost loved ones on Shore Drive - after weeks of butting heads with city traffic engineers - have gotten what they wanted: a lower speed limit.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously instructed staffers to reduce the speed limit on the busy road to 35 mph from 45 mph. The change will affect the four-mile stretch of Shore Drive between Pleasure House Road and North Great Neck Road.
"Praise God!" said Tami Jones, whose son was killed in October while crossing Shore Drive. "We are so excited! We're screaming! We're crying! Thank God. Thank God. We're just so glad that they listened."
The April death of schoolteacher Whitney Lynne Hulce spurred a renewed call for safety improvements. Ten pedestrians in the p ast eight years have been killed on the road. Hulce and Arnold Jones were killed in the same location after leaving a bar.
The lower speed limit will take e ffect in about two weeks, Deputy City Manager Dave Hansen said.
City traffic engineers resisted residents' calls to lower the speed limit, citing studies showing the road was comparatively safe and police reports that listed alcohol use by victims as a factor in many of the accidents.
Vice Mayor Louis Jones and Councilman Jim Wood, who made the recommendation, said the new speed limit will make the road safer.
"The slight inconvenience is certainly worth the enhanced safety," Wood said.
The move follows last year's speed limit reduction on the section of Shore Drive between North Great Neck Road and First Landing State Park, a change widely heralded as effective.
In Virginia, motorists must yield to pedestrians at crosswalks on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.
"People are telling me they can finally take their kids across Shore Drive without fear of being run over," Louis Jones said. 
Mary Lynn Brown, a Shore Drive resident who's been organizing residents, said she'll continue to lobby for flashing pedestrian-triggered beacons, more crosswalks, better lighting and fencing.
"This was first and, we felt, our biggest hurdle," she said. "I think it's obvious the people have spoken."
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
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My praise to...
the two people that agreed with my comment, and for the 9 that did not- I am shocked and you are in shame. To think some type of resolution that will save a life is not good enough for you? You must be so busy in your life that driving slower will infringe on your quality of life is a self-centered and self-serving mentality. My statement was simple. I never said that is was THE solution, but I can see that to some extent it will provide some help. I know Shore Dr. and know it's not always drunkards that are getting hit. My friend's young child got away from him and was struck by a car. The heartless and thoughtless will say, well that's the parent's fault. The parent may shoulder the most blame, but these are the kind of things that do happen and do not involve alcohol. Driving slower does lower the probability of fatality. So to you in particular that quoted me and your response is "there is no circumventing Darwin"- is your lineage the narrow minded sort? That's a tragic flaw too.
Actual impact
Just to let everyone know exactly what the speed limit change will do in terms of time spent driving. I created a map that details the difference between 35mph and 45mph
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106621776302968168764.0004882688eaffd95e720&ll=36.908039,-76.101952&spn=0.047012,0.077162&z=14
This is more for the naysayers and people that have an aversion to the change. It really isn't hurting anyone in the long run. I think this was a long overdue change and I also support the addition of crosswalks and other plans to keep pedestrians safer. I agree that the design of that area in not conducive to the 1000's of pedestrians and homeowners that live there, it is poor civil engineering and a multitude of things need to change in order to prevent accidents from happening. People being careless happens, it's called an accident. If we were all perfect individuals who never made mistakes, I'd say leave it at 45... but we're not perfect.
It's really not going to
It's really not going to matter if they lower it to 35mph because people are still going to drive 45mph (or more) just like many of them currently drive upwards of 55mph (or more). And people are still going to get drunk at the bars and do stupid things. How about the police get out there and give more speeding tickets and drunk in public arrests?
Reduced Speed Limit
Yes, reducing the speed limit will in fact save lives. In Whitney's case if the speed limit was reduced she would still be alive today. She had already crossed 5 lanes and was hit on the right passenger side of the car. At one point she was directly in front of the driver's sight. If the speed limit were reduced the driver could of had more than 70 feet to react. Whitney and the driver's car were the only objects on the street at that time. Also, by reducing the speed limit maybe drivers will be more vigilant to there surroundings. Other safeguards need to be in place also such as more lighting, flashing pedestrian signs, and so on. Now please stop placing the blame on the victims, sometimes other people just aren't paying attention.
Idiot slap
I want to idiot slap all the posters who are stating that getting hit by a car going 35 MPH vice 45 MPH will kill you. Duh, of course it will. The concept is that a person driving at 35 MPH will have more time to react to a situation, vice traveling at 45 MPH. And I believe that most of the negative comments are coming from commuters through Shore Drive, not the residence of the Shore Drive corridor.
Aren't there more commuters
Aren't there more commuters than residents? And isn't there no other way to cross Lynnhaven Bay? Seems to me that makes the commuters more important and Shore Drive's purpose serving those commuters.
Most of you should just flat
Most of you should just flat out be ashamed of yourself! Put yourself in the families shoes for one minute. If this was your family member that was killed you would walk through fire to help fix the wrong that you think aided in their death regardless of anything!!! People who have diseases or accidents all the time become advocates for the cause that they were brought through, so why are these families not allowed to do the same??
As far as the speed limit being lowered does it really matter, what harm can it bring to do it!? It sure can't make things any worse. There have been too many people killed on this road and not all of them were drinking so the drunk argument is getting old! Heck--before all this few people were even talking about Shore drive so if nothing else it sure has put the word out there and I bet you anything that more people will be more aware traveling that stretch of road as a result of all the news so...change can come from it regardless of the speed limit.
Its sad when you read some of these postings and some of the dumb things people say. I hope and pray that you idiots will never have to face what these families must live with on a daily basis
I repeat....
"Put yourself in the families shoes for one minute."
" I hope and pray that you idiots will never have to face what these families must live with on a daily basis."
......And do you not have any sympathy for the innocent DRIVERS, whose lives were changed forever in a split second? I wonder how many people have reached out to them and how this has probably affected "their" lives and families forever? How many are having nightmares?
DRAMA.......
"People are telling me they can finally take their kids across Shore Drive without fear of being run over," Louis Jones said.
There is plenty of sympathy
There is plenty of sympathy for the drivers and their families for that matter. TOO many lives are changed when bad things happen. I have a personal relationship with the family of one of the victims and know too well what its like on this side of the situation and reading what people write is sickening! I know the parents read this stuff too and just imagine if it were your family.
There is plenty of sympathy
That was to you!! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!