The City of Ames is making some improvements to a busy crosswalk after a crash killed an elderly woman earlier this year.
Several local agencies responded to a report of a crash involving a pedestrian and a motorcycle around 8 p.m., Feb. 18, at the intersection of Lincoln Way and South Russell Ave.
Steven Salazar, 31, of Ames, was allegedly on a motorcycle heading westbound on Lincoln Way when he struck Margaret Suzanne Olson, 80, who was crossing the street. Olson was transported to Mercy Hospital by Life Flight with life-threatening injuries. Olson died a few days later.
Several of her neighbors addressed the Ames City Council the following week, asking for better lighting and other improvements to the street and crosswalk near the intersection where Olsen was hit.
On June 23, the council approved installing a dynamic speed feedback sign while increasing speed-limit enforcement at near Lincoln Way and Russell Ave.
The city will also put it on the list of priority intersections in the Walk Bike Roll plan.
Margaret Olson’s neighbors recall finding her after the accident
James and Katie Chidister were the first on the scene of the February accident, running out of their home after hearing a loud crash.
When Katie Chidister arrived at Lincoln Way, she found Olson lying on the street, motionless.
“I looked to my husband and a young college-aged girl who was screaming, ‘She’s dead, she’s dead, I saw the whole thing, she’s dead,'” Katie Chidister said. “I embraced her, trying my best to calm her down. We hoped for the best and prayed Margaret (Olson) would pull through.”
Chidister said Olson died because she was trying to cross the street, as many in the neighborhood do every day.
“We should all feel like we have a safe way to travel across Lincoln Way,” Chidister said. “Right now, we do not feel like we have that safety.”
Jason Chidister said the neighborhood would like the corridor to be more accessible to people walking, biking, or taking the bus.
Ames residents ask for crosswalk improvements
Dave and Brooke Elliston live near the intersection where Olson was killed.
Dave Elliston asked the council to increase speed enforcement. He said a car drag race on Lincoln Way two years ago in an ice storm caused a car to spin off the road, go through a neighbor’s yard, hit a fire hydrant and end up two feet from his deck.
Brooke Elliston said Lincoln Way is a “barrier” to the neighborhood because the crosswalk is “unsafe.”
What are the next steps for the Lincoln Way intersection?
Dynamic speed feedback signs are radar-based traffic devices that display a vehicle’s traveling speed and warn drivers who are going too fast.
The council approved purchasing a $10,000 sign for the Lincoln Way-South Russell corridor.
The city’s Walk Bike Roll plan, created with input from two citizen advisory committees, asks the city to encourage alternative transportation by investing in better bikeways, crosswalks, and sidewalks.
Although South Russell was not originally marked as a high-priority crossing, the council agreed to place it on the list.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Improvements coming to busy Ames crosswalk after fatal accident
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
