Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Stewart Welch
Stewart Welch
Safe walking. I was recently approached by a resident who was particularly concerned about people walking in the streets of our city.
As you know, Mountain Brook is one of the most walkable communities in the country, with over 46 miles of sidewalks and trails. A lot of people still choose to walk streets without sidewalks, which can put them in potential conflict with drivers.
This resident’s concern was for the safety of walkers walking with their backs to the traffic. Many were also pushing strollers with small children.
This conversation made me start paying more attention, and I noticed the same thing: people walking in the street with their back to the traffic. The rule of the road is that you always walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
Why? With texting while driving, talking while driving, eating while driving or listening to music and podcasts while driving, there are plenty of opportunities to cross paths with a distracted driver. If you are walking facing traffic, you have a good chance to see and avoid a dangerous situation.
As a reminder, cyclists should ride in the same direction as vehicle traffic, and I find most do this. I would add, for the sake of safety, it is very helpful to drivers when cyclists use blinking lights and highly visible clothing. Reflective clothing is especially important for walkers at dawn and dusk. Remember, safety is a shared responsibility between pedestrians and drivers.
Entertainment Districts. With the holiday season upon us, our villages are primed for shopping and dining out. Thanks to Ronnie Vaughn and our Public Works team, our villages are fully decorated for the holiday season. Lane Parke is fully leased, with a wide variety of shops and eateries, much like all of our villages. About a year ago, the city council got our legislators to declare Mountain Brook Village, Crestline Village and English Village as entertainment districts. This means people can purchase a drink and then walk around the village, window shopping and socializing with friends. Entertainment districts help create a festive atmosphere and I hope each of you will take full advantage of visiting our eateries and shops this holiday season. Remember, most of our merchants live here or nearby and count on you to “shop local” to thrive. So, skip online shopping and visit our shops in person. You’ll see people you know, and I think you can find just about anything on your shopping list in our city.
