[PRCo] Re: Fwd: The Virgina-Pilot (Saturday, July 2, 2011): As trains roll, downtowners adjust to sharing road

[Derrick Brashear]

Saw it when I was there in April. Wished it was open. We didn't use
(or indeed have) a car for the trip.


>> "All of us need to be more alert and more aware ofour surroundings," said Cathy Coleman, Downtown Norfolk Council president and CEO. "The safety message has been out there a while, but it took trains running before people realize this is a responsibility of theirs."
>>
>> The first and only accident so far occurred last week when a bicyclist hit the side of a moving train at a crossing near the corner of York and Botetourt streets. The biker, who was wearing headphones, was not injured and the train was not damaged.
>>
>> Hampton Roads Transit is working on modifications to that crossing, using railings and other barriers to force pedestrians and cyclists to slow down and pay attention before proceeding across the tracks.
>> Along with new awareness, th
>> ere's also new excitement on the streets. It's not uncommon to see onlookers pull out cameras to snap pictures or take videos as trains pass.
>>
>> "I have high hopes for it," said Chris Chenery of Norfolk. "I'm hoping this gives us a boost, gives us some credibility from a metropolitan standpoint so we're not doomed to small-city status."
>>
>> Norfolk is the smallest city in the country to build light rail.
>>



-- 
Derrick