The Charlottesville City Council has a lot planned for future improvements to downtown areas, partially to make the city more attractive and fun to live in, and also to lower certain kinds of public risks.
The online periodical Charlottesville Tomorrow reported April 20 on various plans for changes along Charlottesville’s West Main St., including areas of the University of Virginia campus and downtown mall.
Reports include a $340,000 price tag for projects consulted by an Alexandria-based firm. Results will include more safety infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians in a crowded downtown area where traffic congestion, and the interaction of different kinds of traffic, has been a problem.
City Council Philosophy
This article extensively quotes city council member Kathy Galvin and her explanation of the difference between ‘go to’ and ‘go through’ streets. While some types of express streets are all about accommodating traffic, Galvin talks about areas of West Main as ‘go to’ areas that are more about different kinds of slower traffic, which means that safety involves slowing things down. For example, some traffic signals in the new plan may be replaced by roundabouts.
Planning deliberate public spaces takes a lot of the burden off of individuals, businesses and local governments to manage public safety. On the other hand, lack of planning can create the conditions for high rates of public accidents. By taking on some of these safety issues at a higher level, the city is providing for its residents. Within this framework, businesses and residents also have responsibilities: to keep owned properties safe and in conformance with local ordinances, to drive safely and operate business vehicles carefully, and generally, to look out for others in busy areas.
Downtown Development and Public Safety
The kinds of improvements planned for Charlottesville are one factor in often complex equations surrounding traffic accident and personal injury cases. A local Virginia injury law firm with experience representing injury victims understands that the unfortunate accident scenarios its clients face often resulted from a greater context involving individual choices as well as public planning.
For a legal consultation with a personal injury lawyer, call 434-817-3100
From the time that a local personal injury lawyer is hired to represent a client, he or she will be looking at getting all of the facts around an accident to determine whether negligence or lack of attention to safety was a factor. Virginia injury law firm legal teams look to provide clients with opportunities for legal settlements to get compensated for their injuries. In a world where individual drivers and other at-fault parties often don’t have funds to contribute, getting qualified legal representation is extremely important for injury victims and their families.
A Virginia Injury Law Firm
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Virginia traffic accident, talk to the lawyers at MartinWren, P.C. Our Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers have experience helping Charlottesville residents and other Virginians take their cases to court, and to get settlements or verdicts for the costs of care, recovery and more. Let us help you to get justice after you suffer harm from someone else’s fault.
Call 434-817-3100 or complete a Case Evaluation form
