OPINION: Thoughts on Downtown Street Safety
In 2008, Penny Parrish collected the oral history of former City Councilor Howard Gregory, who led the conversion of downtown streets from two-way to one-way. She revisits their conversation.
By Penny Parrish
CONTRIBUTOR
In 2008, I created an oral history on Dr. Howard E. Gregory for the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc (HFFI). Dr. Gregory spent years as a local veterinarian and founded Confederate Ridge Animal Hospital. He also served on the Fredericksburg City Council from 1968-1980. It was during that time that he became, according to him, “the most unpopular guy in town.” Why? Let him tell it.
Dr. Gregory: “…Somebody had to take the bull by the horns because traffic was such a mess in downtown Fredericksburg, and working with the city engineer we developed a program of one-way streets.”
Interviewer (me): “Oh, that happened while you were on the council?”
Dr. Gregory: (makes throat-slashing gesture and laughs) “I was the most unpopular guy in town! But you know it had to be. There was no way you could have two-way traffic … can you imagine two-way streets on Caroline, Princess Anne, I mean everything was two-way.”
Interviewer (me): Plus, the truck or lorry drivers who have to stop in front of the stores to unload. As it is now, it’s really a one-lane street because there’s trucks stopped everywhere.”
That interview took place 17 years ago. The issue of trucks blocking lanes is still a very big problem in Fredericksburg. Yet a move is underway to turn several one-way streets, including Caroline, Princess Anne, William, and Amelia, to two-way. It was a bad idea before and it’s still a bad idea.
I work downtown and drive these streets. The Timmons Group study does have several valid points, but changing these streets to two-way is not one of them. Other suggestions:
Make the intersection of Prince Edward and Amelia (remaining one-way) a stop sign. Right now, if drivers get the green light there they FLY all the way up to Washington Avenue. A friend of mine had her car parked in the 500 block of Amelia when it was totaled by a speeding driver (who left the scene). I suggest the Fredericksburg Police sit in that stretch of Amelia and clock the drivers.
Put in crosswalk buttons at all intersections with traffic signals. Try crossing the intersection of Princess Anne and George Street with the sun in your eyes—dangerous.
Keep signs in the street alerting drivers to stop for pedestrians at all downtown parking lots. Such signs are on Caroline, but should be elsewhere as well. The Sophia Street lot, for example, has a painted crosswalk, but drivers rarely stop for pedestrians. With no traffic lights or stop signs on Sophia Street, drivers once again speed by.
Right now, I can safely get around a parked truck by nosing my car out a bit to see if it’s safe to do so. I can’t do that with oncoming traffic on a two-way street.
I urge the Fredericksburg City Council to retain the current one-way street system, and add other safety measure for pedestrians and drivers. Dr. Gregory was ahead of his time. Let’s not recreate the problems he fixed.
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