MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Commissioners in Monongalia County have the second reading of the Ordinance Regulating Pedestrian and Vehicle Safety scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Commission President Tom Bloom said it’s in response to motorists and residents who have been involved in “near misses” due to soliciting and exchanging money or other items at major intersections and entrances to retail areas. To date, no injuries have been reported.
At an August public hearing, many spoke against the ordinance, calling it unconstitutional and saying that it targeted low-income and disadvantaged people.
“We make it very clear what type of median it is, and what we’re concerned about is the distraction it causes on drivers and obstacles—people having to drive around them,” Bloom said. “And most importantly, it’s a safety factor.”
As with the first public hearing, this will be held in the County Commission Chambers in the Monongalia County Courthouse.
“Those in favor of it get to speak first, those against get to speak, and since I proposed it, I get to speak, and I have a final clarification,” Bloom said. “I have some new information I’m going to give out.”
The ordinance prohibits people from being in medians not wider than 10-feet for any reason other than crossing the street. The measure also considers speed limits, conditions in the area, and traffic volumes.
This version of the ordinance for this public hearing includes two changes. First, an exception allowing first responders to enter medians as duties require, and second, reducing a first offense to a warning rather than a citation.
“You cannot stand in the middle of the median, and you can’t hand out something or give something back,” Bloom said. “It just solves many problems we are having in Monongalia County that we are having on the roadway.”
Bloom said 99 percent of the comments he has received have been in favor of the proposal, and it has been successfully implemented in other municipalities nationwide. This ordinance would standardize enforcement in all municipalities in the county.
“To a parent that has a child, we don’t let them play in the middle of the median. Why? Because it’s dangerous,” Bloom said. “So, we shouldn’t have anybody in the median distracting the drivers or causing the possibility of an accident.”