N. Asheville residents plan rally after pedestrian fatality

ASHEVILLE – Residents along Merrimon Avenue plan a rally Saturday at the Coleman Avenue intersection to call attention to safety hazards at the site following the death of a pedestrian two weeks ago.

The demonstration is planned for noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, said Coleman Avenue resident Tina Kessinger.

"We're hoping to get people from our neighborhood as well as people from the other side of Merrimon who are concerned about the danger of the intersection," Kessinger said.

Since the Jan. 8 accident that claimed the life of pedestrian Yvonne Lewis, 67, the N.C. Department of Transportation has installed a high-intensity crosswalk, which includes additional striping to make it more visible to motorists.

But Kessinger and other residents say a traffic signal is needed at the intersection to make it safe for pedestrians to cross heavily-traveled Merrimon.

"I think it helps," Kessinger said of the new crosswalk. "But drivers still do not stop to let people cross. It is more visible, but I don't see it as a solution."

While Merrimon is inside city limits, it's a state-maintained road, which means the Department of Transportation must approve any changes including a new traffic signal. DOT officials have said traffic volume at the intersection did not warrant a stop light, since traffic entering Merrimon from Coleman is only about a quarter of the volume required by the state for a new light.

But city officials asked DOT to install a signal, Mayor Esther Manheimer said Friday.

"To further bolster the city's request, we have offered to cost share," she said.

Doug McNeal, division operations engineer with DOT, said engineers plan to study the intersection for safety problems because of the fatality.

Kessinger said traffic has increased dramatically since Harris Teeter and Trader Joe's built stores on Merrimon in 2013, making the already busy road even more hazardous for pedestrians.

The nearest traffic lights on Merrimon on either side of Coleman are at W.T. Weaver Boulevard to the north and Hillside Street to the south, Kessinger said. City bus stops on each side of Merrimon at Coleman make the intersection a natural place for people on foot to cross.

Asheville police Sgt. Dave Romick said officers with the Traffic Safety Unit have completed their investigation into the wreck and plan on conferring with the District Attorney's office next week to determine if charges will be filed against the driver of the vehicle involved, Richard Charlton, 39.

Neighborhood activists who live near the scene of the accident had been lobbying city and state traffic engineers for months for safety improvements at the site before the fatality.