Vision-impaired residents, hit multiple times by cars and bikes, want you to watch out

Carolyn McGhee scurried west across Boonville Avenue, following her long white cane clacking along the bricks. 

A white sedan turned just feet in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. 

"See?" she said. "That's exactly what I'm talking about." 

Since McGhee moved to Springfield in 2012, she has had more close calls with cars than she can count. She has been hit by bicyclists on the sidewalk. 

McGhee said despite the fact that she carries a cane and often wears a reflective vest, motorists and cyclists don't watch out for her — an especially dangerous predicament because she is blind. 

Missouri has a "white cane" law requiring drivers to yield to pedestrians using a cane or a seeing-eye dog intended to prevent collisions with the blind or vision impaired. 

But drivers at some crosswalks in city limits aren't regularly yielding to pedestrians, so the city of Springfield has been trying to raise awareness about best practices. 

In 2018, the city saw 67 pedestrian crashes — down from a high of 74 in 2016, but still above the 10-year average of around 64.

City statistics also indicate just one in four drivers yields for pedestrians at crosswalks.

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Mandy Buttgen-Quinn, the city's traffic safety professional, said city staff has been working on educating drivers through its SGF Yields program with signs and informational campaigns.

"That campaign has grown quite large, and we're really proud of it," she said. "We're seeing a slight reduction in the amount of drivers that don't yield." 

But there's still room for improvement.

Gary Horchem said he has been a "magnet" for getting hit by cars in town, despite the fact that he carries a cane.

The most recent incident at a crosswalk sent him to the hospital in an ambulance. 

"(Drivers) don't pay attention when you're crossing the street," he said. "They're on their phones, they're staring out into the world, and the next thing you know, smack." 

Horchem and McGhee both ride the bus for their primary transportation, but McGhee said it is so dangerous to cross streets like Campbell Avenue that sometimes they catch the bus in the wrong direction and ride the entire loop just to save themselves from a risky crosswalk. 

He and McGhee also said they've both had trouble with bicyclists who go speeding down the sidewalk without any signal. 

"I had my (safety) vest on one day, and this guy flies down the sidewalk right past me," McGhee said. "How can you not see a bright green, reflective vest?"

Buttgen-Quinn said city code allows cyclists to ride on the sidewalk in most places around town, but avid cyclists have told the News-Leader that it can be dangerous to do so.

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If they do ride on the sidewalk, cyclists should give the right of way to pedestrians and slow down when they see someone walking, Buttgen-Quin said.

"It's also a kind thing to do to let folks know if you're going to be passing on their left or on their right," she said. "The caution really has to be on the bicyclists."

But Horchem said he hoped the city would outlaw adults riding on the sidewalk and give them tickets for doing so, as they did in his previous home in Denver.

McGhee agreed.

"I do understand that cars and bikes don't often mix, but bikes and pedestrians should not mix, especially if they're not going to signal," she said. "(The last time I was hit), I was fine, it was mostly just a shock, but how much more are we going to have to put up with?"