Walker beware — Debbie Benham

Dear editor,
Just having moved to Scotts Valley, I was eager to explore and walk just about everywhere. I loved that my new condo bumped up against the Kings Village Shopping Center. On Sunday afternoon, about 2 weeks ago (Dec. 3), I was about to cross Mt. Hermon Rd. at the Kings Village Road traffic light, to meet some friends at the Coffee Cat. The light turned green, I got the walk sign, and I stepped off the curb and the last thing I remember is looking to my left and wondering: ‘Why that white car isn’t stopping?’ Long story short: suffered a concussion and a couple other injuries that I hope will subside with therapies. Nothing broken; no internal injuries.
I have to think that this is not the first time there’s been a pedestrian auto collision at this intersection, or, at one of the other two traffic signals that control traffic on Mt. Hermon Rd. I’d like to draw attention to a wonderful organization with federal and state ties: Mission Pedestrian. I have spoken with one of their members, Debbie Bulger, and this group has been instrumental in changing traffic lights and curb placement at busy intersections to make a city safe for the folks who walk. The link is www.missionped.org. Learn about your city’s walkability quotient!
Please be careful out there, from a now experienced survivor of a traffic accident!
Debbie Benham, Scotts Valley