Save Our City: Will Rockford’s Intersections Ever Be Pedestrian Friendly?

A lot of residents in Rockford walk to work, the grocery stores, and everywhere else they need to go in town.  You'd think Rockford would be a more pedestrian-friendly city.

At least once a week I see on the news that a pedestrian walking down the street was struck by a vehicle and succumbed to their injuries.  It's so unfortunate and disappointing that it has become a normal story for the news to cover.

If you look up "Rockford pedestrian" in a Google search, you'll find the first thing that pops up is "Rockford pedestrian hit by car".  This should NOT be okay!

What can the city of Rockford do to prevent so many of these fatalities?

First off, we need more pedestrian-friendly crosswalks at the worst intersections in town.  There is also a huge community of bicyclists in Rockford, let's make it easier for them to get around town, too!

Residents shouldn't have to play a game of Frogger just to get from one side of the road to the other.  These intersections definitely need upgrades to keep our city safer:

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EAST STATE & ALPINE

Seriously, I see so many people waiting at the medians every day to cross the street when it's "clear" for them to go.  They shouldn't have to time it perfectly, they should have a right-of-way at some point!

EAST STATE & PERRYVILLE 

This is a large intersection with tons of shopping centers; Best Buy, Home Depot, Target, Lowe's...  There are no crosswalks for pedestrians, no bicycle lanes for bikers, and many lanes of traffic heading toward South Perryville.

EAST STATE & SUMMIT

I called non-emergency one time because a man was walking his bicycle in the middle of traffic.  I almost hit him because he was wearing all black at night.  This area has a lot of walkers because Swedish American hospital and a Mobil gas station are at the intersection.  When it's dark out, you really can't see people walking in the street or crossing half the time.

ALPINE & BROADWAY

Not only are there no pedestrian-friendly crosswalks, this is just an intersection many people try to avoid at all costs.  It's not a fun intersection to be at in my opinion.

Clearly there are way more than just these, but this could be a start to a better future in our city.  The question still stands, will Rockford EVER be a pedestrian-friendly city? I really hope so.  If the city wants fewer pedestrian vs. car collisions, start somewhere!