Safer resort for walkers, bikers along Del. 1

As main streets go, resort Del. 1 was six lanes of high speed, summer craziness that was so dangerous state leaders just spent $7.2 million to add better lighting, crosswalks and sidewalks to improve safety for both pedestrians and bicyclists between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach.

Delaware is the deadliest state when it comes to pedestrian fatalities on roadways and state Transportation Secretary Jennifer Cohan said Monday "I'm really looking forward to changing that statistic."

While many of the fatalities occur in northern Delaware, one common factor in many of the state's pedestrian deaths is people attempting to cross higher speed roadways at night.

"We have too many people die as pedestrians on our roadways," said Gov. Jack Markell at a ceremony Monday to announce the roadway upgrades. "It's so clear how important these improvements are."

A story last October in The News Journal revealed that Delaware is America's deadliest state for pedestrians. More than three-quarters of deaths, the story showed occurred at night on high-speed roadways.

At the beach, there is another factor at play. Hundreds of foreign workers come to the Delaware-Maryland coast every summer to work at area businesses and they are often used to walking and cycling in places that are more pedestrian and cyclist friendly.

"We had too many kids that were getting hurt," said Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach. "We had too many kids who were dying ... The big thing was getting people off the road."

The project includes six miles of continuous sidewalk from Nassau Bridge outside Lewes south to the Lewes & Rehoboth Canal Bridge on Del. 1, south of the main entrance to Rehoboth Beach. Much of the sidewalk is new or improved.

Schwartzkopf stressed that bicyclists are encouraged to get out of the right-hand turn, bus and bike lane and use the sidewalk, instead. At 5 feet wide, it is large enough to accommodate both bikes and pedestrians, he said. Delaware law allows bikes on sidewalks as long as they aren't prohibited and marked by signs, he said.

In addition, there is better lighting at intersections and improved crossing areas so people can get from one side of the highway to the other.

"The improvements not only address an urgent need to improve the safety of pedestrians, but it also serves as a model for how the community and state can work together," Cohan said.

Work on the improvements started last fall and came as the result of a series of recommendations from the Route 1 Pedestrian Safety Task Force.

"This is just a milepost" in the  quest to make Del.1 safer in the resort area, said Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes.

Over the last three decades, the beach highway has expanded as farmland on either side was developed into businesses and housing.

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As the area has grown, there are multiple users of the busy corridor from folks passing through to get to resorts to the south, to shoppers, to visitors and employees trying to get to work.

Stephen C. Walter, general manager at Ruby Tuesday along Del. 1, said many of the international student workers employed at the restaurant ride bicycles to work along the busy highway.

Most of them are pleased to see the sidewalks, he said.

Zack Hayes, owner of the nearby Chick-fil-A franchise, said he is pleased the improvements included signalized crosswalks at the intersection of Lighthouse Road and Del. 1.

John Kurpjuweit, president of Sussex Cyclists, said many of the area's more serious cyclists will likely continue to use the far right bus and bike lane and ride with traffic.

The reason, he said, is that the walkway really isn't a true, multi-use trail.

His concern is that motorists may not be looking for cyclists on the sidewalk.

His organization will again be handing out helmets and bicycle safety information to summer workers.

The Route 1 task force found that between 2011 and August 2013  there were 14 injuries and five fatalities along the coastal corridor. Two deaths were in 2012 and three were in 2013. Most accidents occurred from Thursday to Sunday, in the evening and early morning and during the summer.

An analysis done by the state police at Troop 7 found that pedestrians were dying because they tried to cross that road in unlit areas after dark. They found that walkers were darting into the road or walking along the road. Most of the fatalities occurred at night or early morning when it was dark.

Schwartzkopf said he believes the improvements will make a huge difference for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.

"It's so much safer," he said.

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.