I work in downtown Portsmouth. On numerous occasions, I almost have been hit or have seen another person almost get hit while crossing the street.
Each time, the person has been crossing with the light in the crosswalk. Each time, the person driving has been turning.
Two weeks ago, a co-worker and I were leaving for the day. We waited until the light turned green before we began to cross. A woman turning proceeded to point to the traffic light, showing us she had the green light. Well, so did we.
If another car were going straight, she would have waited until the car went before she turned. Pedestrians are no different. My co-worker is married to a Portsmouth police officer who agreed according to the law, we had the right of way. Recently, I watched a girl almost get hit by a woman's vehicle as she was turning. They both had the green light, and the girl was in the crosswalk. The girl walking also had the “walk” symbol.
According to Ohio Revised Code 4511.14, if a person has been given the walk sign, the pedestrian has the right of way - provided they are in a crosswalk. ORC 4511.12 states a pedestrian must follow instructions of the traffic control device cross at crosswalks, no hitchhiking, etc. It also states “When a traffic light is green in the direction they are facing, pedestrians may step off the curb to cross the roadway on which traffic is stopped.” (I found this information at www.dot.state.oh.us/bike/).
I wish people would wake up. I really do not want to get hit by a car while crossing the street, especially if I have the right of way.
Mary Kristian
Portsmouth
Pennsylvania man makes appeal to help preserve, protect Delta Queen
The Delta Queen is in danger. This magnificent boat, a frequent visitor to our area, will cease operations in 2008, unless she receives a continued exemption from Congress from the provisions of the Safety of Life at Sea Act of 1966, with regard to wooden superstructures.
The Delta Queen is America's steamboat, so authentic she has been designated a National Historic Landmark, along with Mount Vernon and the Statute of Liberty, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She is a moving work of art. She is the last of her breed. She deserves our protection to ensure her continued operation for the education and enjoyment of many generations to come.The Delta Queen's wooden superstructure does not mean she is a greater fire hazard than those vessels constructed using more modern methods and materials. Metal and plastics melt and distort. Wood maintains its structural integrity far longer in high heat situations. The boat is completely covered in fire retardant paint and is protected by sprinklers. All of the cabins have openings to the outside. None of them open into blind corridors. The Delta Queen is a flat-bottomed riverboat and should not be held to the same standards as an ocean-going vessel. She never is more than a mile from land.
She also is economically important to the many river communities she visits. Passengers and crew spend money in these towns. Third-party service providers depend on her for the food, fuel, laundry, and other supplies and services that are purchased locally for her operation. It will be a dark day for all Ohio River communities when her travels cease.
We have allowed too many of our national treasures to fall into neglect, ruin and decay over the years. We cannot afford to lose many more. The Delta Queen is something uniquely American. She stirs emotions in us of days gone by. She is a living, breathing entity. She must not be condemned to the purgatory of a floating hotel, restaurant or night club in some unknown place.
I encourage everyone who loves our American history, our river heritage and culture to contact your representatives in Congress and beseech them to help keep this piece of Americana in operation.
James Armstrong
Gibsonia, Pa.
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