‘The kids’ lives matter’: Norfolk students participate in Walk to School Day to promote pedestrian safety
The morning after a young boy in Chesapeake was killed in a hit-and-run, dozens of Richard Bowling Elementary School students in Norfolk walked from nearby Booker T. Washington to their school. They were all dressed in neon to promote safety on Walk to School Day, which is raises awareness of pedestrian and bicyclist safety and is celebrated each year the first week of October across the country.
Crossing guard Belinda Ensley smiled and waved at the students as they walked by. She greeted the kids with a “How you doing?” However, Ensley said safety concerns are real for her and the students.
The kids passed an intersection where a child was struck and killed in 2018. The city installed a traffic light at Princess Anne Boulevard and Majestic Avenue, but she lamented that “it took a little boy’s death” for something to be done.
Three years of working as a crossing guard, Ensley has seen people run that red light and speed through the neighborhood. Sometimes, even when she has her stop sign, motorists just drive around her.
“Our lives matter,” Ensley said. “The kids’ lives matter.”
Too often children across Hampton Roads do not make it home when walking or biking around their neighborhoods.
Tuesday evening, an 8-year-old boy in Chesapeake was killed in a hit-and-run at the 1700 block of South Battlefield Boulevard. As of Wednesday morning, police are still investigating.
In March, a 2-year-old was struck and later died in Virginia Beach while crossing the street with their family. A man was arrested and charged in the case.
Last month, a 14-year-old girl attending Eaton Middle School in Hampton was struck crossing the street near the school. She was taken to the hospital and was expected to survive.
The Department of Motor Vehicles reported 311 pedestrian crashes in Hampton Roads last year, 364 reported injuries and 38 deaths.
The event Wednesday morning was a collaboration between the schools, city of Norfolk and AAA. Newport News Public Schools also hosted their event Wednesday morning, in which approximately 3,000 students walked with parents, school staff and community leaders, according to a press release.
Anna Dewey, Norfolk’s principal planner, said the city has adopted a Vision Zero policy in 2019 to not just reduce the number of traffic-related accidents, but to get to zero.
She said many of the streets in the city have changed over the years to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. This can mean adding crosswalks and improving sidewalks. Additionally, the Neighborhood Speed Reduction program, a comprehensive approach to address speeding, also aims to bring speed limits down to 20 miles per hour in neighborhoods.
Kelsey Kendall, kelsey.kendall@virginiamedia.com
