Problem Have you ever gone out to put the garbage on the curb for trash day, and had to jump back to avoid a speeding vehicle? How about having anxiety from trying to cross the road with two small children so they can enjoy the playground at the elementary school just across the street? This is the problem my neighbors and I face when trying to enjoy the amenities of our community. Speeding vehicles plague this Sterling residential neighborhood causing danger to children, pets, and all residents in general. This proposal aims to change speeding vehicles through the enforcement of pedestrian safety guidelines administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Because this community does not employ a Homeowner’s Association, I am …show more content…
They worry tremendously about a safe place to have their children play, and having safe access to the local park. They are just as much surprised and shocked by the vehicles passing through the neighborhood at high speeds as I am. “I worry constantly about my children crossing the street to play at the park. Even when school is in session and there are tons of flashing lights, the cars still speed”, says Joan Wilkens, single mother of three. When asked if stop signs and crosswalks would make her feel more comfortable, she replies with a “yes” excitedly. “Anything to raise awareness to the vehicles in the neighborhood to watch their speed would be helpful” says …show more content…
The specified traffic management tools listed above specifically deal with speeding, and are developed to stop this nuisance. The neighborhood’s well-being and safety rating can directly affect different aspects in your life. Living in a safe neighborhood can be linked with mortality, general health status, disability, birth outcomes, chronic conditions, health behaviors, chronic disease, mental health, injuries, and violence. A neighborhood’s socioeconomic conditions can affect whether its residents smoke, have healthy diets, and practice safe reproductive behaviors according to studies. Being secluded in one’s home because the neighborhood isn’t safe to navigate can have adverse actions in the resident’s life. Residents are more likely to be physically active when they live in neighborhoods with better resources for exercise; such as parks and sidewalks; and with street patterns that present fewer pedestrian obstacles. “Walkable” neighborhoods bring the resident’s and their children closer and help the community develop stronger bonds and a larger social environment. Children that live in closely-knit neighborhoods are more likely to receive guidance from multiple adults and less likely to engage in health damaging behaviors like smoking, drinking, drug use, or even gang