RICHMOND, Va. β For years, people living near Patterson Avenue have said crossing the street feels like taking a risk. The city is now activating a new traffic light they hope will tip the balance back toward safety at the intersection of Patterson and Pepper.
The city just installed a traffic signal with yellow flashing lights for Patterson drivers and red flashing lights for Pepper Street while people get used to what's ahead.
For longtime neighbors, the change feels overdue.
"We've been traveling down through here for quite a few years, and it's gotten worse every year," William Raynor said.
Watch: New stoplight aims to improve safety on Patterson Avenue
With that development has come some danger. Schools, synagogues, churches and shops all line Patterson Avenue, putting more people on foot where cars are moving fast.
"It's going to be a safety measure," Marcia Bernstein said. "It's really hard for them to get across without that light."
"I'm hoping it's not all the time. I'm hoping at night, when it's not very busy, we don't have to stop for no reason," Daron Keller said.
Still, Keller admits the cost of doing nothing is far greater.
"Well, to keep people safe, we lost an 11 year old last week. So this is, this is important," Keller said.
Watch: Friend remembers 11-year-old-girl who died in Henrico bicycle crash
The Department of Public Works says the signal is designed to slow cut-through traffic, reduce speeding and make it safer for people to cross one of the city's most challenging roads.
"It's a thoroughfare. It's a main thoroughfare. Now, I think that it's something that was really important to do," Bernstein said.
For now, the signal will stay in flash mode before going fully operational. City leaders say it's just the first piece of a bigger safety puzzle meant to make Patterson Avenue less about speed and more about safety.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
π²: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
