LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Drivers have hit nearly 150 pedestrians in Lexington in 2023, and the year isn't even over yet.
Even through the quiet of a relaxing run, Jason Schubert's head is always on a swivel.
"It's really just a constant fear of, even if I'm following all the rules, there's always a risk that a driver is gonna just do what they want," said Schubert.
Schubert is a safety advocate for the LGBTQ+ running group Frontrunners Lexington.
He advises his friends to assume a driver won't see you and take preventive measures.
"If it's dark outside, I'm wearing reflective gear. I'm wearing lights, something to make sure that other drivers can see me," said Schubert. "I've taken on a lot of it. In an ideal world, it wouldn't be, and the drivers would just follow all the rules, and when the crosswalk sign is on, they allow pedestrians to cross."
Drivers in Lexington have hit students walking to school, adults walking to the bus stop, runners on a jog, and bikers trying to get to work.
Over the weekend, a driver hit someone very close to home for him, transforming his fear into reality.
"You hear about pedestrian accidents all the time, and unfortunately, it's very different when it happens to someone you know, and it happens to someone you've run with, and you've talked with and have developed a relationship before," said Schubert.
Mia Ibrahim was jogging when police say they were hit and killed by a driver who ran a red light. They were a part of the same running club.
"Hearing that news and having it happen so suddenly was truly shocking for myself and a lot of people in the group but it's definitely galvanized us and really encouraged us to continue pushing for pedestrian safety and access," said Schubert.
Ibrahim was jogging in the daylight. Police say the driver ran a red light.
"I think at the end of the day it doesn't matter how many safety are there if drivers aren't paying attention, they're not paying attention, and it doesn't matter how much paint or signals are there they're still going to cause a problem," said Schubert.
Police say the law puts the duty on drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians. Not yielding the right of way and inattention are the most common driver factors.
The Numbers:
In 2021, there were 168 pedestrian collisions and seven fatalities. In 2023 so far, there have been more than 147 crashes involving pedestrians, killing at least 20 people.
Most accidents this year are happening on the north side of town: On Broadway, New Circle, and Limestone.
Broadway and Loudon have had three crashes where pedestrians were hit. One person died.
City officials say the most dangerous is the New Circle Corridor. Thirty-four deadly and serious injury crashes happened from 2015-2021. Nearly half were people walking or biking.
The number of deaths from bicycle incidents increased by 16% in 2020 and 44% in the last ten years.
Each year, approximately 2% of fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes are people on bicycles, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA).
In 2021, 985 bicyclists were killed on U.S. roadways.
What Lexington Officials are Doing:
Mayor Linda Gorton says regular conversations about the issue with the Metropolitan Planning Organization are happening.
She says she traveled to Washington D.C. to strum up support for the $22 million grant the city just received to improve the New Circle Corridor.
"Be patient. This project is gonna take a little bit of time because it's a gigantic project, but it will make things much better," said Gorton.
Infrastructure and safety planning for cyclists and pedestrians have been more prevalent in city planning nationwide.
The city of Lexington is also a part of several different projects across the area.
The country is one of a few cities that have created a formal bicycle and pedestrian plan to take safety into account through a dedicated Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan.
According to federal law, all urbanized areas must be designated as a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the intergovernmental planning agency for Fayette and Jessamine Counties.
Collectively, the MPO sets policies and allocates federal transportation dollars to local municipalities and counties.
In 1999, the MPO established the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to guide bicycle and pedestrian needs and projects in the MPO region.
The Town Branch Commons is a 22-mile trail that took ten years to officially open and partially complete.
It's seen as a hub of the city's growing trail system.
In the area, the mileage of bike lanes and shared-use trails has continued to grow over the last 5-year period, increasing to more than 100 miles, or about 10 miles per year.
Some Current Pedestrian Projects:
New Circle Road: Pending grant funding would create a shared-use path for pedestrians and bikers on both sides of the road from New Circle Road from Boardwalk to Bryan Station and a connection to the Legacy Trail.
North Broadway: Improving North Broadway from New Circle Road to Broadview Drive to include bike/pedestrian facilities under the RJ Corman Railroad bridge.
North Limestone: In the design process of adding sidewalks and bike lanes from Withers Ave to New Circle Road. Short-term improvements were implemented through a restriping project.
Versailles Road: Pending grant funding would improve sidewalks.
Armstrong Mill: Will complete gaps between Appian Way & Squires Road.
Wilson Downing: Construction beginning this summer to close gaps between Nicholasville Road and Tates Creek Road.
Squires Road: Construction beginning this summer to complete gaps from Cove Lake to Richmond Road.
Richmond Road: Construction starting in 2024 or 2025 to create a shared-use trail from Squires Road to Hayes Blvd.
Rosemont Garden: Will complete gaps between the railroad and Southland Drive.
Town Branch Commons: The primary route is finished, but completion is waiting on a study.
Alumni Drive: In the design process of creating a shared-use trail is funded from Tates Creek Road to New Circle Road.
Liberty Road: Bike and pedestrian improvements are in the design process for New Circle to Winchester Road. The Legacy Trail will be extended from Liberty Rd to the Legacy/Town Branch trailhead at 3rd Street and Midland.
Harrodsburg Road: Design work to begin soon.
KYTC is building a shared-use path from New Circle to Liberty Elementary on Liberty Road. LFUCG is building a connection from the KYTC project to the trail behind Liberty Elementary, which connects to the Brighton Trail.
How is Kentucky doing?
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission currently serve in an advisory role, advocating for bicycle safety; however, there is no coalition or statewide group of advocates and stakeholders representing pedestrian and bicycle safety combined.
The state does not currently have a Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Safety Plan.
After a request from the state to assess its state pedestrian and bicyclist safety program, NHTSA recommended things like better communicating the availability of grant funding to local partners and allocating the appropriate level of funding.
NHTSA recommended more "countermeasures that comprehensively integrated education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency medical services strategies to enhance the safety of people who walk and bike Kentucky (NHTSA 2022)." Read more here.
Jason's Advice:
1. Never run with headphones in when it's dark or very low
2. Wear reflective gear and lights
3. Don't expect all drivers to follow the rules
4. If there's no sidewalk, run into traffic so you can make eye contact with drivers
A Tribute to Mia
"Mia was the type of person who walked into a room, and it instantly became a better place. Their energy brought sincerity, care, and excitement. They were an activist for LGBTQIA+ rights, popular music education, and Arabic music.
Mia was a Grammy-nominated music educator, and their excellence as a music educator can be seen through their actions as a teacher in the Bronx in NYC, and through their recent transition to working at the University of Kentucky. They presented nationally for honoring LGBTQIA+ and Arabic identities in music classrooms.
Mia would want to be remembered for their work and have people carry on their love and advocacy for students. Mia would also never want what happened to them to happen to anyone else. Advocacy for driver awareness and wanting no other lives to be affected by someone running a red light.
To support family and friends, help raise awareness for driver safety. Also help continue the causes they were passionate about. MusicWill and the Association for Popular Music Education (national music education non-profits they worked for) are organizing scholarships and memorials.
I want people to know this wasn't Mia's fault. Runners should take precautions, but in the end, it is about drivers paying attention and following traffic laws. No amount of time saved by running a red light is worth the cost of someone's life."
-David Dockan
