Crosswalks necessary: 5 accidents. 1 death. What will it take DOT?

Ensuring that Chapel Hill pedestrians are provided with accessible and safe passage should be a top priority for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

However the DOT's decision not to construct major pedestrian safety upgrades along the stretch of N.C. 54 where Gloria Espinosa Balderas was killed last year is simply unacceptable.

The DOT claims that a traffic light and crosswalk along N.C. 54 is unrealistic and possibly unsafe citing that there is not enough traffic to warrant a new signal.

But the fact that a fatality and four additional accidents involving pedestrians have occurred along N.C. 54 since 2006 suggests otherwise.

The DOT's reluctance to install a crosswalk and traffic light along N.C. 54 in the wake of so many accidents demonstrates poor oversight.

The fact that N.C. 54 is a four-lane road doesn't mean it shouldn't have frequent pedestrian crossings.

The highway runs straight through a residential area and contains several bus stops — it boasts as much foot traffic as it does vehicle traffic.

Currently crosswalks are spaced nearly a mile apart.

And N.C. 54 isn't the only area that is in need of pedestrian safety improvements.

The entire Chapel Hill area is growing increasingly dense and more populated due to the construction of several new apartment and housing developments.

Balderas' death was the fifth pedestrian fatality in Chapel Hill in 2008.

A lack of safety for those traveling on foot is grossly apparent.

If the DOT truly feels that pedestrian safety upgrades along N.C. 54 aren't needed then hopefully it will at least make a more concerted effort to improve pedestrian safety in other areas around Chapel Hill.