Sometimes, a slip and fall can be devastating. Health experts say tripping hazards can be so life-threatening that just one slip can lead to a person suffering a traumatic brain injury or other serious injury.
With that in mind, a group of Virginia lawmakers called on the city of Richmond to give pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists better safety information on Richmond’s bridges and streets that often pose potentially deadly hazards.
The House Delegate Jeff Bourne sponsored the legislation, which passed in the House. The bill went to the Senate, which didn’t take it up.
Some bridges are notoriously dangerous. Rikers Point Bridge is commonly known as the “death bridge” because so many have fallen dead on skaters and bicyclists. The Jefferson Bridge is especially dangerous for pedestrians because cars cannot see them, and there are very few signs that pedestrians can use to tell them not to walk across the bridge.
In an email sent to residents of Richmond at the end of December, Mayor Levar Stoney said the city is currently working on a set of recommendations that include plans to warn pedestrians and bikes that crossing the Jefferson Bridge would be illegal. “The safety of those who use the bridges and cross them is of utmost importance to me and our Administration,” he wrote. “We are not recommending the closure of any bridges, including the Jefferson Bridge. Rather, we are looking at workable solutions to improve safety for people who use the bridges.”
