In February, a young student was struck by a passing car along Old Hundred Road while walking to school. The road is often used by students traveling to and from school, but lacks any sidewalks for pedestrians to safely walk along. As a result, students are forced to walk or run along the shoulder of the road, placing them in direct danger of oncoming traffic.
After hearing of the accident involving the young student, Chesterfield neighbor Becky Baucom knew something had to change. “I don’t think they need to be put at risk when there’s an area, a clear area, where a sidewalk can go,” Becky said.
She posted a poll to her neighborhood’s Nextdoor website to assess whether other neighbors would be interested in fighting for change. Within days it was clear that the community was behind her. Over 93% of neighbors agreed that sidewalks were desperately needed along Old Hundred Road and were willing to sign a petition to make their voices heard.
Becky has since been traveling door-to-door to collect signatures from fellow neighbors. She plans to present the sidewalk petition to Chesterfield County officials.
“I’m hoping that by getting a petition going and bringing more awareness to the County, that we can have this done sooner rather than later,” said Becky.
Becky was recently awarded the Nextdoor Good Neighbor Award as recognition for her efforts in making Chesterfield a safer place to call home. From all of us at Nextdoor, congratulations Becky, and thank you for all that you do to better your community.
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As originally reported by NBC Richmond.
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