CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There's a call for safety changes for pedestrians in Charlotte. It comes after a serious crash involving a bicyclist earlier this week in Plaza Midwood.
Cars have flown down the road in Plaza Midwood just days after a tragic scene. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said the biker was hit by the car accidentally.
For Angela Berry, it's a wake-up call for drivers.
“When you get behind the wheel you are driving 3,000 lbs of metal,” Berry said.
Berry is with Vision Zero, an network the city of Charlotte is part of, that works to make all forms of transportation safe for everyone. As the city continues to grow, the city works to ramp up accessibility for walkers and bikers. For example, Berry touts the installation of pedestrian-hybrid beacons as one way that's helped.
The city also implemented new bike lanes in Uptown. In 2023, it plans to spend thousands of dollars on more non-car-related infrastructure.
“Those are all really important things as a city our size and size that’s growing," Berry said.
With that growth, Berry said it's important for drivers to remember more people will be walking and biking. That means paying attention is a priority.
Evan Alexander lives in Plaza Midwood and told WCNC Charlotte he experienced the effects of distracted driving firsthand.
“We were getting coffee one morning, and someone slammed on their brakes and make contact with us but soft," he said.
Even with that close call, it's still alarming given the statistics. According to the CDC's Transportation Safety Division, 1,000 cyclists die and 130,000 are injured in crashes every year.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.