Cary plans fewer lanes on Walnut Street where 6-year-old was killed
Months after a 6-year-old girl was hit and killed in Cary, neighbors are pushing for a safer street.
Posted — UpdatedNeighbors complain drivers speed 45 mph in the area, which has a speed limit of 35 mph, and are calling for change.
Catherine Williams and Liz Anderson Simmons have logged a lot of steps crossing neighborhoods along Walnut Street, where they walk.
"Cars drive way over the speed limit, looking at their phone," Williams said. "I was almost hit one day."
Now, a streetside memorial created for Joselin days after Christmas is a constant reminder of what's at stake.
"When the little girl was killed, it was like – oh, this is not a joke," Simmons said. "This is serious business and something has to be done about it."
The women became safety advocates for Walnut Street, collecting more than 500 signatures calling on the town to make a change.
"Since the unfortunate accident occurred out there, there’s been a lot of citizen participation," said Russ Overton, Cary's deputy town manager.
Cary has resumed work on a 10-year-old project to give Walnut Street a "road diet," with crews already surveying the street.
Walnut Street will go from 2 lanes to 1 lane in each direction, separated by a median, near Dunham Park.
The town will add dedicated bike lanes and flashing lights in the pavement at the Dunham Park crosswalk to alert drivers that a pedestrian is in the road.
The new Downtown Cary Park opened in November, and the downtown area is growing.
The changes can't come soon enough for neighbors-turned-safety-advocates.
"We live here and we care and have great neighbors," Williams said. "We want to be safe."
Construction on Walnut Street is expected to start later this summer and take a year to complete.
Family members said Joselin was playing outside near the sidewalk in front of her house in December when a car suddenly hit her.
A search warrant obtained Tuesday by WRAL News references Everett's "lack of remorse" at the time of the crash.
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