A Preventable Crisis
I was about to publish a piece, a very sad piece about the recent death of Christine Tarasco, who was killed while riding her bike on Pine Grove Ave in Kingston. But only a couple of weeks after Christine’s death, we lost another person, Sarah Edwards, who was struck by mini school-bus while crossing the street at Spring and Wurts Street in Kingston.
I’m sad and angry that Kingston has to grieve two more people who was just trying to get around without a car.
Christine Tarasco, who went by “Rena,” was struck by a car and killed on Pine Grove Avenue, near the YMCA on December 27. Suddenly torn from her family. According to her obituary, she was “a bright light of joy and love.”
“She was always quick to greet you with a big smile and a hello. A career waitress, she retired from the Olympic Diner in 2020. She was dedicated to her family and cherished spending time with them, the weekly family game day was a can’t miss. Riding her bike and spending time at the YMCA for swimming and workout classes were among her favorite pastimes.”
Sarah Edwards was a frequent walker and bus rider. According to her neighbor, Tanya Garment, “I first met her early last spring when she walked by my house on her way to Uptown to run errands. We exchanged friendly hellos a few times, then introductions, then had good conversations both on my block and also when we encountered each other on Broadway or at Kingston Plaza. I got to know some of her wry wit and gracious warmth because she didn't exit her house into a car. We lived a few blocks away from each other, but we met often, BECAUSE SHE WALKED (and took the bus lots too).” I was unable to find a picture of Sarah, if any family would like me to share a picture please let me know.
My heart goes out both of the victim’s families, and all of the growing number of families who have lost a loved one to traffic violence.
Kingston now has a bike fatality rate which is many times the national average. As Hudson Valley One pointed out, nationally the rate is 2.7 per million. Meanwhile, in a city of 24,000, 4 bike riders have been killed in less than three years, or about 1.3 deaths per year.
The YMCA sits at an intersection that children say feels unsafe (we asked them). One element of concern is the right turn lane onto Pine Grove, which allows cars to move at unsafe speeds right past the entrance to the YMCA. I have personally watched kids walking home from school, having to scramble as drivers impatiently edge into the crosswalk as they are crossing.
I desperately don’t want these kinds of tragedy to happen again, but if there is inaction, I fear it will. Children very frequently use the street in the same area where Christine was tragically killed.
The fact is, there are evidence-based interventions that can help to slow down traffic and protect people’s lives. Many of the most effective interventions are engineering solutions. For example, this guide describes many safe street design techniques, and cites studies of their effectiveness.
We’re sick of burying our community members due to inadequate regard for our safety.
We’re in a crisis. And the crisis needs swift public action.
We need our local leaders to commit to making streets truly safe for people of all ages and abilities, and to prioritize rapid traffic flows secondary to safe street design.
The safest solution would be to eliminate car traffic, since cars and trucks are the reason these crashes are deadly. In lieu of getting rid of cars, measures need to be taken to dramatically reduce speeds and increase visibility, using proven street design techniques such as street narrowing and speed bumps. Signage alone is insufficient.
Speed matters; the chance of killing someone with your car is fairly low at 20 mph, and almost certain death is assured at 40 mph. Slow speeds also widen the field of vision, making it more likely that the driver will see unpredictable events, and they allow for more reaction time and braking time, which makes crashes more avoidable. Every parent, walker, runner and bike rider should be clamoring for slow speeds to be mandated throughout the city.
People also need to be physically protected from cars, especially at intersections, and especially where very slow speeds won’t be achieved.
Drivers need to be held accountable for reckless behavior and also encouraged to drive more carefully with intelligent street design. Education should be focused on actionable behavior change, such as driving at 20 MPH or using the Dutch Reach.
Kingston should hold paramount the safety of pedestrians when redesigning streets, just as it’s stated in the Code of Ethics for Engineers: “Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.”
Kingston should commit to quickly fixing the area near the Y so that it’s an appropriate place for children to walk and bike. And then move on to the rest of the city… and of course set a good example for the rest of the county to follow.