We moved to Killingworth 26 years ago. We wanted to live in a rural community with winding country roads, woods, wildlife, a barn, trails to ride, good schools, and a quiet, peaceful neighborhood. We did not move to Killingworth to change it. We liked it the way it was and hoped it would always stay rural.
In the past I had always felt safe riding my
horse, biking, or walking my dog on any of Killingworth's roads.
However, today, I won't even take a walk. A more populated town,
and the fact that many cars and trucks "pass through" Killingworth, have led to more people
rushing to get where they want to go. Every time I travel to and from
work on Route 148, I have someone tailgating me. There are many sharp
turns, yet people hit 50+ MPH, even passing other cars over double
yellow lines. There are children waiting for buses, people jogging,
pushing a stroller, riding horses, or walking their dogs, or there
could even a deer or wild turkeys crossing the road, yet these speeders
seem to have no regard for them. It's even more threatening when huge
commercial trucks come barreling up the road and never slow down for
anything or anyone. I have had near close calls and nasty gestures
when driving through the traffic circle. People don't seem to understand
what "yield" and "give right of way" means. More
patrols on the roads would be a great start to enforce speed limits
to keep drivers and pedestrians safe, but it would have to be on-going
for a long time to "re-teach" what's right.
Drivers who use on our roads need to realize it's rural. There are
no shoulders in most areas, so they need to drive the speed limit,
anticipate what could be ahead, and slow down when necessary. Making
the roads wider would encourage people to go faster and would begin
to change Killingworth's character. Soon all our roads will become "highways".
Route 80 is a wide road and has a shoulder for bikers and walkers,
yet drivers exceed the 50 MPH limit and speed at 60+ MPH anyway. While
walking on the shoulder of my road, I once had pieces of rock thrown
up at me from the tires of a vehicle passing by me too fast. People
already speed down my street, and I would hate to think what would
happen if the street was made straighter and wider!
People have traveled on Killingworth's rural roads for many, many years
in the past, and have done it safely. Why would anyone think a car
has the right to careen down the road in an area of homes just to go
faster. Most neighborhood roads in Killingworth "go somewhere" except
for the newer subdivisions and cul-de-sacs. Our roads are where people
live, and drivers need to respect that. Every driver has to take a
driver's test to get a license, and they are tested on "The Rules
of the Road". It seems like many drivers on our roads do not remember
what they have learned. It's all about safety and respect.
Barbara Benjamin