ROCKDALE, Texas — Resident Paul Nardella crosses the streets of downtown Rockdale every morning, riding his bike ride from his house, grabbing coffee from the only Shell in town and then, making his way down to the Main Street Ministries.
But there are too many cars and no crossing lights where SH 79 meets E. Cameron Avenue, and it's raising safety concerns.
"A lot of times, they'll be some that want to keep going and the person behind them three or four cars back will finally see me and stop," Nardella said.
Rockdale Police Chief Jerry Meadors said it's a concern for his department and the city too.
He said the city is partnering with TxDOT to add more crossing lights.
They already added a few at intersections downtown.
"The overall concern is pedestrian safety downtown. The city is working hard correcting that issue, and there's a lot infrastructure that has to change with that," Meadors said.
There were 12 crashes involving pedestrians in the area over the past five years, according to TxDOT, including two fatal crashes in just a month.
A 23-year-old woman was struck and killed by a motorist that left the roadway on Nov. 4.
Just Tuesday, a 77-year-old man was struck and killed in front of Walmart after crossing the road with his wife to get to the Quality Inn Motel.
Though the victims weren't in crosswalks, Meadors said he wants to prevent as many pedestrian deaths as possible.
He advises pedestrians to look both ways, watch for turning cars at crosswalks and use crosswalks at well lit areas.
"If you see a car coming, they're probably moving faster than what you think they are," he said.
He said motorists should reduce distractions, dim interior lights to reduce glare and reduce speed.
"If you're driving into a populated area that's dimly lit, slow down a little bit," he said. "Just because the speed limit may say 55 doesn't mean you have to necessarily drive 55."
Nardella said he wants to prevent deaths too, especially after having a friend and his father killed.
"Just be a little more cautious, you know, look around you. My dad got hit by a car trying to cross the street. Person stopped to let him cross. They told him to come on," he said. "As he passed the front of their car, somebody went from behind him, went around him, hit my dad, killed him instantly," he said.
