Letter to the Editor: Sussex crosswalk an unnecessary danger

On Camp Arrowhead Road in Sussex County, less than 100 yards apart, two crosswalks have been installed — one with the clear purpose of safety, the other a Delaware Department of Transportation favor to a developer.

Crosswalk 1 is at the intersection of Camp Arrowhead Road and the Marsh Farm Estates’ entrance. Crosswalk 2 is at Camp Arrowhead Road’s notoriously dangerous S curve, where there have been predictable accidents.

Crosswalk 1 is at the intersection of two perpendicular streets. Its primary purpose is to provide a safe way for children to use school buses. It is on a straight stretch of road that provides high visibility to pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike.

Crosswalk 2 is a mere 75 yards down the road. It is a danger to drivers, peril for pedestrians and a threat to bicyclists. Its only purpose is to provide a developer with a way to better market 15 homes. It’s jammed in against an S curve — one of the most dangerous sections of road in Sussex. The speed limit is 40 mph, and drivers going north come out of the curve veering to their right with less than 100 feet before they unexpectedly and blindly encounter this crosswalk. Pedestrians cannot see vehicles in the S curve and coming from behind until the vehicles are bearing down on them. According to the U.S. Transportation Department, the 40-mph braking distance is 110-170 feet, depending on the type of vehicle. This is the worst location and configuration a DelDOT engineer could ever choose to place a crosswalk. Currently, there are no users of this hazardous crosswalk; it may potentially be used by seven or eight Marsh Farm Estates homes. It is a danger to drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

When going south, Crosswalk 2 becomes the secondary focus of drivers having to deal with decelerating from 40 to 25 mph to avoid running their vehicles off the road (which homeowners report happens one to two times each week). DelDOT claims to have 10-year-old data that shows this section of road is safe despite the near-doubling of population in that time, multiple crashes into the woods (four in the last 24 months) and an occasional walker or bicyclist being knocked down. And now, the developer is putting up a solid, 8-foot-tall fence that will obscure pedestrians and drivers from each other even more. DelDOT indicates that there has never been a reported accident in the crosswalk which no one is currently using.

Two crosswalks: one to provide safety while connecting both sides and the other so a developer can market 15 houses by claiming the dangerously jammed-in pathway magically connects buyers to the development amenities on the other side of Camp Arrowhead Road.

A thousand cars drive through these two crosswalks every day: Crosswalk 1 provides a safe view, important to pedestrians and drivers, while Crosswalk 2 is engineering that compromises and endangers drivers and pedestrians.

DelDOT claims Crosswalk 2 is essential because:

• It’s enough to take public land for the benefit of a developer.
• It’s enough to place it adjacent to one of the most hazardous sections of road in Sussex County.
• It’s enough to endanger a thousand drivers a day by combining a treacherous S curve with a crosswalk.
• It’s enough to dare pedestrians and bicyclists to risk their lives to use a hazardous, unnecessary crosswalk.

Crosswalk 2 places drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists in eminent danger every day and is completely unnecessary. It should be eliminated before someone is tragically injured or killed. DelDOT approved the second crosswalk in the interest of a developer, rather than public safety.

Dave Breen

Marsh Farm Estates homeowner

Lewes