Whether there is a difference of opinion as to who was at fault in the recent tragic fatalities & injuries involving pedestrians, Shore Drive is a major artery, the Bayfront community has the highest population density in the City, currently with over 24,000 people; the fact is Shore Drive is simply not safe for pedestrians, cyclists, joggers, even drivers.

Please continue reading the Background of why the Shore Drive Safety Task Force was formed.

Choose to get involved, email us your ideas on how to make Shore Drive safer. Follow this link to get started.

June, a member of the SDAC, and newly appointed to the Shore Drive Safety Task Force, recently wrote a letter to the editor that was published December 28th in the Virginian-Pilot.

An excerpt:

His death has galvanized a community where we have experienced the tragedy of five pedestrian fatalities in little over a year, all within two miles of each other on Shore Drive.  This disproportionate number of deaths requires the immediate attention of a caring community.  Though each tragedy was unique, there were several unsafe pedestrian conditions common to all of them…

Continue reading her unedited version, reprinted with permission.

He said the reaction was fabulous. One of the most popular techniq ues, Maxwell said, was marinating wing-cut fillets in olive oil, wine vinegar, oregano and lime juice, then grilling them.

Read the entire article at Pilotonline.com.

The 85th percentile is based in part on a study in the 1950s on rural, two-lane roads. Although widely accepted by engineers, the method has its detractors.

?There is no science behind it,? said Richard Retting, senior transportation engineer with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit research group in Arlington.

Read the entire article at Pilotonline.com.
Learn more about the holiday safety campaign mentioned in the article.

I would love to walk down to Lynnhaven Inlet or drive my bicycle to work.

The Shore Drive Safety Task Force[SDSTF] requested by Todd Solomon and the SDCC, was approved by consent on Tuesday evening at City Council’s meeting.

Thank you to all who helped get the task force created, particularly Councilman Woods and Vice Mayor Jones for getting it on the agenda so quickly, Todd for having the foresight and wherewithal to ask SDAC to request the formation of the task force, Kal Kassir & the SDAC for requesting it and especially to Clay Culbreth & friends for rapidly organizing a petition drive, and finally to Nancy Day for having the strength to speak out.

Jack adds clarification to what he asked SDAC about at the meeting.

An Excerpt:
I asked SDAC as a sub-committee reporting to City Council to request City Council to task Parks and Recreation to expedite completion of the portions of this project that can be completed. To discontinue incorporating the necessity to complete a bridge or water crossing to the land based portions of this project.

Dear Shore Drive Residents,

First of all, terrific job on showing support for the proposed safety task force resolution.  Many phone calls have been made and emails have been sent.  The sign-up for safety campaign is off to an excellent start.  Keep up the excellent effort.

Thanks to Nils for attending the SDAC meeting and taking such comprehensive notes.

An excerpt:

Clay Colbert, Chesapeake Beach, observed that 14 deaths in four years, if it happened on Atlantic Avenue, City Council certainly would have done something by now.

Thanks to Nicole for attending the SDAC meeting, her first, and for emailing us her notes to be posted.

An excerpt:
There was general consensus in the meeting that the time is now to push the City Council to improve Shore Drive.  We are entering into an election year.  This is the time to ensure City Council understands how important this issue is and that change is implemented immediately before someone else is hurt on Shore Drive.

Update: Over 1600 signatures have been collected in support of creating the Shore Drive Safety Task Force. Again, thanks to Clay Culbreth and friends for starting this petition drive!

According to Jim Wood, the Resolution to create the task force will be on the consent agenda this evening, Tueday, December 20th. Learn more here.

An excerpt of email forwarded to our councilmen:

“As of this writing, several thousand signatures have been collected. A large group of your constituents will also be attending Tuesday’s Council session in support of this task force and the immediate need to address some of the more dangerous places along Shore Drive.

Update: Jim Wood emails the Resolution will most likely be put on “consent”agenda.
Stay tuned.

[As of this writing several thousand signatures have been collected, with many more petitions outstanding.]

Clay Culbreth and friends organized a petition drive that started Saturday morning at Taste Unlimited.

It ends Monday evening, in time to gather the petitions and then present them at the City Council meeting Tuesday night.

The Shore Drive Petition States:

I support immediate efforts to ensure pedestrian and vehicular safety on Shore Drive

Download Shore Drive Safety Petition.[pdf]
You can print as many as you want from 1-1,000 or more. Thank you for helping raise awareness and for supporting the efforts to make Shore Drive safer now!

Dear Shore Drive Area Residents,

As you are all aware, there has been a growing number of safety issues (pedestrian and vehicular) along Shore Drive over the past year.  Current plans to redevelop residential property into multifamily dwellings and possible plans to construct 700+ residents on Pleasure House Point have the potential to make matters worse. 

The Shore Drive Community Coalition and the Shore Drive Advisory Committee have requested City Council to expedite safety related improvements and to initiate temporary improvements wherever possible (see SDCC & SDAC letters at http://www.sdcc.info).  A very important step in making things happen at an accelerated rate is the creation of a Shore Drive Safety Task Force.

For years, there have been committees and reports to look at how to make Shore Drive safer. But now, many people say there has been enough talk, and they are ready to see improvements, before someone else is hurt.

Click to read entire article and view video aired on WVEC TV.

N O T I C E

TO: Citizens Living Along Shore Drive, VB, VA

RE: Sign-up Sheets to Support Improved Pedestrian Safety

Clay Culbreth and many helpers are meeting at Taste Unlimited on Shore Drive at 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM Saturday December 17th 2005.

They have 250 sign up sheets to be carried to homes and businesses and filled with signatures supporting efforts to improve pedestrian safety along Shore Drive.

The objective is to obtain 5000 or more signatures to show support of the City Councilmen James Wood and Louis Jones and other members appointed to the Shore Drive Safety Advisory Committee.

This ?5000? support is to be presented by our collective Shore Drive Communities of ?live bodies? present at the City Council Meeting Tuesday, December 20th 2005 at 6:30 PM.

Please help us achieve our objective by picking up a sheet or two, fill them with supporter signatures and return the completed sheets to Clay and crew at Taste Unlimited before 5:00 PM Saturday. 

Your efforts will help give impetus to improve the safety for our/your children and loved ones in the future and allow those who have predeceased us on Shore Drive to be motivators for our common good!

Please join us at Taste Unlimited on Shore Drive at 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM Saturday December 17th , 2005 and Tuesday evening at the City Council Meeting at 6:30 PM.

Prepared: 12/16/2005

Here are photos, from today, showing grading that was recently done on the shop where Lazy Daisy was located. The lots are across the street from Croakers restaurant.

We learned at yesterdays SDAC meeting that the new owner of the lots were given a one year deferral on creating a BMP, and on upgrading the parking lot and vegetation buffer. On a personal note, I was surprised to hear that.

Does anybody know who makes those kinds of decision and are they made in public?

This photo shows existing sidewalk on Shore Drive destroyed and covered over with trenching left uncovered.

Recently we FOIA-ed the city for more information related to safety issues on Shore Drive.
Check the Read More link below to read the most recent FOIA requests.
How to FOIA.

…Vice Mayor Louis Jones and I are co-sponsoring a resolution creating a Shore Drive Safety Task Force.

Announced this afternoon at the SDAC meeting.

Mr Kassir, President of the SDAC, asked if there was any media in the room after WAVY TV filmed the room and did some interviews on a short break.

No other media attended.

As a result, police have preliminarily concluded that the victims? drunkenness was the sole cause of the fatal accident, according to testimony.
Read the article at Pilotonline.com.