To the Editor:

I walk the sidewalks along Church Hill and Queen most days as does The Newtown Bee editor.  The walk is beautiful and my lab loves it. However crossing commercial driveways is a life threatening experience. None of these commercial high traffic driveways have crosswalk markings so pedestrians take their life in their hands. Cars don’t see the pedestrians at some commercial driveways because of poor visibility.

Last week at the Big Y driveway, the one at the traffic light, my dog and I were almost run over by a driver looking straight at me. In front of her was a large sign saying that drivers turning  must yield to pedestrian. Rather than yield she gunned her car and pulled out in front of us. Across the street was a police officer watching the entire event. I pointed out to the officer what had happen, and he said that technically it was not a cross walk as it had no crosswalk lines so the drivers didn’t have to technically yield while I walked across the driveway…yet the sign says they must.

Really, technically??? So much for enforcement and safety. It is time that the borough and town officials demand clearly marked crosswalks at commercial driveways. It is dangerous and unsafe for pedestrians. We spent over $100,000 on pedestrian safety studies on Queen Street yet little has been done to make pedestrians walking our sidewalks safe when crossing commercial driveways. Before we install more sidewalks we must remedy this problem. The time to act  is now before someone is severely injured.

Bruce Walczak

12 Glover Avenue, Newtown                        July 22, 2014