When tourists and locals collide: Threat to pedestrians, cyclists as traffic increases
With the sun beaming down Friday, the town center of Bethany Beach was bustling with every form of traffic — pedestrians and skateboarders, bicyclists and motorists.
And with this traffic, officials and police warn the public this time of year of the shared responsibility between drivers and others on the road — especially after the recent collisions involving bicyclists in June.
Officer Volz, a parking enforcement officer in Bethany Beach, naturally spends most of his workday in the town’s high-traffic areas. He said part of the problem is a simple lack of attention.
"I think when you come on vacation people just leave their brains at home, and that's dangerous," said Volz, who did not disclose his full name. "A lot of people are down here walking and driving, and it's important to keep an eye on other drivers, on your kids and on yourself.”
Despite that advice, collisions are on the rise across the country, said Jana Simpler, director of the Delaware Office of Highway Safety.
On June 11, Delaware State Police announced there have been 15 collisions involving bicyclists on highways this year. That report included a fatal hit-and-run in Dover in May, and the two reported crashes in the Rehoboth Beach area that involved pedal cyclists said to be riding improperly on the roadway during the first week of June.
That was followed with two cyclist crashes in Laurel and Millsboro that resulted in a death of a Laurel man and serious injuries to a 72-year-old Delmar man, according to police.
There was also a fatal pedestrian crash in Ocean City in May when a 23-year-old Pennsylvania man was hit and killed outside a crosswalk on Coastal Highway near 45th Street. The driver was charged with driving under the influence and also faces other traffic-related charges.
"We want to reduce fatalities, the number of crashes and serious injuries that are occurring," Simpler said. "So we developed campaigns — education and enforcement, they go hand in hand — to change driver behavior, trying to get more people buckled, fewer people speeding, reducing incidents of drunk driving, and reduce the incidents of pedestrians being hurt or killed on Delaware roadways."
There were nine pedestrian fatalities in Delaware last year. That number is already up this year to 13, Simpler said.
But in Ocean City, numbers are trending downward.
Pedestrian collisions reached a peak in 2012 at 40 with two fatalities, and bicycle collisions peaked in 2014 at 31 with no fatalities, said Lindsay Richard, Ocean City Police public information officer.
READ MORE: Bicyclist fatally struck near Long Neck
READ MORE: Bicyclist critically struck
Those numbers have been up and down over the past six years, but the trend is a decline in incidents and fatalities. In 2016, OC had 22 pedestrian incidents with one fatality and 26 bicycle incidents with no fatalities, Richard said.
This year, there have been three pedestrian collisions and five bicycle collisions with no fatalities in Ocean City, she said.
"The (number) has gone progressively down," Richard said. "The peak was in 2012 when we had 40, which was when everybody got behind the Pedestrian Safety Committee. It progressed to 2016 when we had only 22, so we've definitely seen improvement."
Tiffany Waits rents a beach home in Bethany Beach and was walking with her 10-year-old daughter, Lacey, on Friday.
Whether it's Ocean City or the Delaware beaches, this type of traffic is nothing compared to what she is used to.
“I work in D.C., so this is nothing, but just like over there you still have to keep an eye out for drivers and bikes and other people or you’re going to get hurt," she said.
The solution
As the summer tourist season continues and more people are on the roads, bicyclists and pedestrians are under increased threat of injury.
The solution is teaching safer behaviors to pedestrians and cyclists and convincing them to be more visible to motor vehicle operators, authorities said.
The message from authorities is to know the rules of the road, be visible and be aware of nearby vehicles and obstacles at all times, but despite educational programs the message is sometimes hard to sell.
Fournier said the law requires bikes to travel with the flow of traffic, not against it, and they should always stick to the right edge of the roadway. Riding on the sidewalk is only allowed where signs indicate it is OK. Doing otherwise means cyclists are placing themselves where pedestrians and motorists do not expect them to be.
Reflectors are required by law, and riding at night without electric lights is illegal, Fournier said. Reflective clothing goes a long way to improving visibility, and a helmet could prevent a fatal head injury.
This message is being fortified in Bethany Beach by a partnership of the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company, Police Department, Sea Colony and local businesses, said Fire Chief Brian Martin.
He emphasizes wearing helmets.
"Helmets are important and they certainly save lives, and nighttime bike lights should be used rear and front," Martin said. "Other than that, it's pretty much being aware of your surroundings when out on the road. Cars are supposed to give the right-of-way, but that doesn't always happen. We say keep your head on a swivel; know what's going on all around you."
WATCH: Blue Crab's Tim Haley remembers Anastasia Ciolpan
READ MORE: Cyclist critically hurt in crash with tractor-trailer
The fire company responds to bike incidents and injuries all season. Martin said it's too early in the season to tell how their efforts are working this year. On occasion, helmets they've collected are redistributed to cyclists free, but some still don't wear them.
"I understand that it doesn't look cool, but they do save lives," he said.
Martin recalled a fatal collision in June 2016 when Moldovan J-1 visa student Anastasia Ciolpan, 20, was riding south in the shoulder of the southbound lane of Kent Avenue in Bethany Beach when she became the victim of a hit-and-run. She died of her injuries two days later.
Although she was riding correctly — far right, with the flow of traffic, outside of motor vehicle lanes when possible — and had reflectors as required on her bike, she did not have lights, was riding at night and was not wearing a helmet.
This year, a new program focuses on foreign students. The program offers bike safety training and distributes emergency information cards for J-1 visa students. The cards have spaces for native language and emergency contact numbers.
"We've had a few bike accidents involving students, and when they're under stress they revert to their home language and then there's a language barrier. If they fill out and carry the cards and there's an accident, we can contact someone who isn't under so much stress who can translate," Martin said. "They are a huge proportion of our bikers in summer, and as well as tourists, we certainly try to take care of all of them."
Martin said many Bethany Beach businesses either recommend or demand that their student employees wear helmets and use proper safety equipment on their bicycles.
Simpler's office organizes four "mobilizations" each year — education and enforcement campaigns targeted to pedestrians. Those will continue this year in July, August and September, focusing on warmer months when more pedestrians are on the roads.
Officers across the state are given overtime opportunities, paid for by her office, to work in two-man teams in locations where pedestrians are frequent. They are encouraged to talk to pedestrians about safe behaviors — walking against traffic and not with traffic, using crosswalks, using flashlights and reflectors for visibility. Occasionally, they distribute small flashlights or blinking lights.
READ MORE: Driver fled Ocean View crash that put pedestrian in the hospital, police say
"It's not so much enforcement as it is education," Simpler said. "It's about being a safer pedestrian and following safer pedestrian habits."
Despite these efforts, Simpler said the trend indicates pedestrian fatalities are on the rise.
"The trends we're seeing in Delaware are similar to trends across the country," Simpler said. "So we're not alone, but we do have a lot of work to do."
Other efforts include DART bus shelter wraps and bus cards, and partnerships with a growing network of businesses that are asked to share the same messages with their employees.
Simpler's office is also part of the Governor's Advisory Council on Walkability and Pedestrian Awareness that works with local, county, state and federal partners to craft policy related to pedestrian safety. There is also an effort to bring safety education to the schools.
"Our children are going to become pedestrians, so we're looking for ways to encourage safe pedestrian habits at a young age that will hopefully transfer with them as they get a little bit older," Simpler said.
An engineering subcommittee improves pedestrian safety by completing roads and adding sidewalks, crosswalks or traffic signals in conjunction with DelDOT.
"I really applaud DelDOT for their efforts; they really have taken this effort to a whole new level," she said.
Similar efforts are going on in Ocean City. A big piece is the Pedestrian Safety Committee, formed in 2012, Richard said.
The committee includes area law enforcement agencies, federal and state highway administrations, the Maryland Highway Safety Office and local businesses working to improve pedestrian safety. Over the years it has come to encompass bicycle safety too.
There is also the ubiquitous "Walk Smart" marketing campaign featuring Cheswick the Crab, which has recently been adopted by OHS for use in Delaware beach towns, Richard said.
"That came to fruition when SHA got involved and brought their marketing behind that. You see that crab everywhere — it's wrapped on buses, it's on airplanes, it's on the SeaBoard, it's everywhere."
There is also a live costumed mascot, and street teams that distribute Walk Smart materials to local businesses.
"We're doing everything we can to push that message out there," Richard said.
Staff reporter Reed Shelton contributed to this article.