NORFOLK, Va. - In 2021, around 26,000 crashes were reported in Hampton Roads, according to the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRPTO). A survey recently opened for residents to help report unsafe intersections.
“They speed through here like nobody’s business,” said Norfolk resident Micah Staely.
Staely lives on Llewellyn Avenue in Norfolk.
“We get a lot of traffic throughout here and 25 is the speed limit but you can get a strong 45 when you’re coming down these streets,” said Staely.
The intersection of Llewellyn Avenue and 35th Street is just one of the many problem areas identified by HRTPO.
“Disgusting, very nasty accidents, it’s never good it’s always like a T-bone or something like that,” said Staely.
Keith Nichols with HRTPO told News 3 that's why the safety survey put out by his agency this month is vital. The organization is counting on residents to speak up and let them know what areas are dangerous.
“We can see here’s what the data says in terms of why crashes are occurring at these locations, but we’re not the ones who drive through it every single day,” said Keith Nichols.
The goal is to take the data and secure federal grant money for VDOT and localities to make some changes.
“We look at the trends we try to figure out why are these crashes occurring, we try to figure out where the crashes are occurring, what are some of the high crash locations, and then come up with some countermeasures to help improve safety in our region,” said Nichols.
Nichols said some of those countermeasures could include red light cameras, speed bumps, better pedestrian signage and overall intersection improvement.
The survey is open until August 31.
