Letter to the Editor: Pedestrian danger

In your July issue of The Homewood Star, you wrote an article on Mrs. Paula Smalley, a woman who was hit by a car in downtown Birmingham. My heart went out to Mrs. Smalley, and I wish nothing but the very best for her.

I have lived in Homewood for four years now, and while I am not yet a homeowner here, I have taken to the small town ways immediately. I love this community, and I love its people. When my husband and I moved to Homewood, the first thing I did was get rid of my car. We are a one-car family not out of necessity, but out of the sheer pleasure I get from walking to work (Penzey’s Spices), the library, church and the numerous restaurants that Homewood has to offer.

Lately, however, walking has become a dangerous thing in Homewood. I am constantly having to defend myself when crossing on the crosswalk where Oxmoor and 19th Street meet. People in automobiles have no patience for people who need to cross there. I have been honked at, cursed at and in one instance ignored altogether to where I came within inches of being struck. Only yesterday, I saw a woman in a car grow furious at a man crossing the street with his child. Apparently, they weren’t moving fast enough even though the walk light was still flashing. You ask anyone in Homewood who jogs or walks, and they will tell you how challenging it is to cross on 19th Street.

On July 29, I was almost run down while walking on the sidewalk. A woman coming from a dentist’s office parking lot failed to notice me walking near her as she waited for traffic to pass so she could enter into Oxmoor Road. She pressed on the gas and turned into me. If I hadn’t been paying attention, if I’d been distracted by a cell phone, or an iPod, or a child, I would have been struck. Instead, only my right arm was grazed by her rearview window as I jumped back out of the way. She never saw me until she heard me screaming. That’s when she slammed on the brakes. I was too shaken up to do anything but walk away. Later, when I returned home, I found dirt streaked across my arm and shirt. 

Every day is a challenge for the joggers and pedestrians of Homewood. People park in our crosswalks waiting for the light to change, they turn into you and go around you as you’re crossing the street, they run stop signs and red lights like they don’t exist. The worst places to cross any street in Homewood surprisingly enough are the places where children play (where Roxbury and Huntington Roads cross is a fine example for people who ignore stop signs) and people meet (try crossing over Oxmoor to the Homewood Park without someone coming off of Central making you a hood ornament). Pedestrians count on traffic laws to keep us safe. I have serious concerns for the pedestrians of Homewood, and I can only hope for someone else to share those concerns.

Thank you for your time,

Valerie Hendricks Woods