The tragic deaths of Delia Bailey and her daughter who were struck down while crossing the Route 13 in Pocomoke City has angered and infuriated residents.Pocomoke City Maryland has long been known for its 'Boss Hogg' form of government where one man who was never elected has run the city into the ground over the past 32-years.
This weekend a young mother and her child paid for the sins of a corrupt city government with their lives by merely walking across the highway to get home.
The Pocomoke City Government has never planned ahead and prior to Mike McDemotts election as Mayor three years ago, would not change light bulbs unless they got a grant from somewhere.
P-City has more low income or subsidized welfare housing units than any other part of Worcester County and is home to an open air drug market that has operated openly under the protection of the City Government for over 20-years... All because the citizens vote for city officials don't mean a thing because of the longest sitting city manager in the USA doing anything he has wanted with no accountability to anyone, not even the voters.
There is zero pedestrian planning in Pocomoke City which requires property owners to build and maintain their sidewalks on a very random & totally inconsistent basis. When commercial development started coming to town across Interstate Hwy 13, or in the form of welfare projects, the city fathers were more interested in self dealing than in being public servants and making the developers give back or pay for infrastructure. So there is none, no sidewalks on the main footpaths to our schools, no safe pedestrian crossing for Route 13 no sidewalks on the main pedestrian routes.. not a freaking thing thanks to Russ Blake, City Manager and King of Pocomokes one man rule Boss Hogg Political system.
All of the major grocery stores that were once located within the 'traditional' city limits were put out of business once Wal-Mart came to town and now people who need (or want) to walk must take their life into their hands to cross a busy interstate highway with no pedestrian traffic controls.
There was no cross walk markings until my wife Stephanie Burke made it her personal mission to get a cross walk installed at the main intersection, where incidentally 8-people were sacrificed to the traffic Gods before the City was blessed with a traffic signal.
They may say its the State, but when a local government demands (I mean demands) something and makes it a public health & safety issue, which should be their business then it can be done.
The people are sick and tired of Pocomoke being famous for crack cocaine and crooked politicians.
This is the start of a campaign for not only safe crossing at multiple locations across the Route 13 it should be a citywide effort to improve pedestrian safety.
There is a grass roots effort organically coming together to contact the Highway Dept, the County Commissioners, Delegates, Senators, Congressman and the Governor to help provide the basic municipal services that a non-corrupt, duly elected government that is responsive to the needs of its citizens should have planned for and built years ago.Please comment with suggestions and lets get a unified message to send to Annapolis.
At the risk of sounding like the dead horse calvalry people need to realize that nothing in Pocomoke will change until the 'Boss Hogg' form of one-man-rule has ended.
How many more people are going to have to pay for the sins of the Pocomoke City Government with their lives?
24 comments:
Okay, I'm confused. The writer speaks negatively of "Boss Hogg" yet signs off as Bosshogg. ????
Please explain this to me, as I'm not understanding who's good and who's bad in Pocomoke.
Can't pin this all on pocojoke. Personal responsibility - use good judgment, cross highways at proper locations.
Maybe we need to have highway crossing 101 mandatory at baby-moma class.
It's a play on Pocomoke's Boss Hogg form of government & anything Boss Hogg related drives the City Government nuts.
I registered on Google / Blogger with the username Boss Hogg a while back to thumb my nose.
If you check out our website / blogsite at www.pocomoketattler.com you will see a Boss Hogg Theme.
Anon 5:55 thats a real crappy comment and you sound like a real asshole.
And let's not forget, that Pocomoke spent its time and money to become an "All America City," instead of worrying about silly things like crosswalks.
I remember years ago when Pocomoke was nicer. I almost went to live there. Instead, I'm here, a bigger version of the nonsense.
To be quite honest, although 5:55 could have said it better, there comes a point that we should be accountable for our own actions and not expect the government to do everything for us, and blame them when someone does something that is reckless, and gets killed or injured. If there is a crosswalk somewhere on that stretch of Rt 13, then the people should walk to the crosswalk. It is not realistic to place a mid-block crosswalk on rt 13 where it is most convenient for people from this housing complex to cross. It is sad, tragic, and unfortunate, however, i do not find it helpful to blame the pocomoke government for this. Also, just becouse a town complains to SHA, doesnt mean they are going to change policy. Policy is policy, and warrants are warrants.
Oh wow talk about over kill with the chopper!!
I guess it comes down to "it really sucks to be poor"!
The 'Cross Walk' that is at the intersection is not really a real cross work in the real sense of the word. It is lines painted on the road with a paved island in the middle of 13 with paving going through a flower bed (the flower bed went in years before the sidewalk did) and then a sidewalk along the side road leading to Walmart. There are no buttons for the pedestrian to push to let the pedestrian give the light a signal so it will change at some point, nor is it a 'smart' light that knows when there is someone in the intersection, nor is it timed so that a person can get across 'safely' during one cycle. The mega/super store has been here almost 8 years and just last year the 'Cross walk' was installed.
The organic place of crossing is approximately two 1/2 blocks from the intersection.
City planners all over the country are realizing the error of their ways in only planning cities for car traffic and not taking the pedestrian into account.
This woman was carrying her 4 year old who had been dropped off to her at her crappy minimum wage job, and she was trying to get home with her baby, her purse, and a bag of groceries.
I haven't measured it yet, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if she had walked out of the front door of Walmart down the length of the parking lot, turned and walked to the stop light, crossed on the painted line, then followed the paved sidewalk area around the McDonalds and to the entrance of the apartments without cutting across any private property the trek is over a 1/2 mile.
Crossing at the organic path is the shortest distance and just across the highway.
So yes people have to take responsibility for themselves and not ask the government to do everything for them. However, our elected officials need to think about the public that they serve and seriously consider the impact that a project will have on all citizens before it is approved.
Walmart will do anything for a city that it asks if they decide your city needs their store. Pocomoke asked for nothing and that's a fact!
The next time anyone wants to blame this unfortunate young woman for not taking responsibility for the accident I suggest that you work an eight hour shift, then borrow someones 4 year old who is sleeping, buy a bag of groceries and grab a purse, and at 10:30 go for a 1/2 mile walk in the cold.
I'm sorry but if I step out onto a major highway and get smacked down like a bug, its my fault. I learned early in life to look both ways before crossing the street. I learned that if I saw a car coming, to wait until it passed the cross. I'm sorry this tragic event happened to this family but when are we going to stop blaming the government for everything and take a little blame for the stupid crap we do on our own?
Russ Blake needs a thank you noteof sarcasm from everybody for letting the mother and daughter die while crossing the highway. Let's get on his case and give him some publicity.
Where did they shop before walmart was there? I agree it is so sad, and tragic. What do you really expect the govt to do though? Build a overhead pedestrian bridge from their complex to walmart? Even if there was sidewalk, they would still have to walk the distance. There are people getting struck on the rt 13 bypass in salisbury going from the mall to residential areas on the other side of the bypass. Is it the govts fault? I dont know what pocomoke could have required of walmart that would have prevented this. Walmart is where it is and the housing complex is where it is.
Before Walmart came to town there were 3 Grocery Stores, 2 major department stores, and 2 two 3 pharmacys. All on the 'old town' side of the highway.
When Walmart came they undercut the prices of every singe store in town on everything and put them all out of business.
Many communities across the country defend themselves against Walmart as every time they build one they put at least 10 business' out of business when they move in.
No one can compete with that buying power. So in order to save your town you must resist the Walmart seduction.
Accomac County VA resisted for years and years, but a new town council in Onancock finally gave in, but they are getting all kinds of infrastructure built by Walmart in order to come in.
All the city needed to do was to say that 'we have a large pedestrian community, and we don't know exactly where they are going to cross to reach your store, but we care about our citizens, and we're sure you care about your customers, so we want you to set aside into a trust the money for a future crossing of the highway after it is determined where the organic crossing emerges.'
Walmart would have done this in a minute. I was watching a documentary about them and they will not only build crosswalks, bridges or tunnels to get a permit in a town, but they will make expansions on water and sewer plants, build roads all kinds of stuff.
I'm blaming the government for not having the forthought to have them do these things if they wanted our business and in the process kill our existing ones. Yes now the government will now if the campaign is successful pay for a new crosswalk, as I think it would be hard to go back to Walmart now.
Boss Hogg sounds like a broken record. "eeek open air drug market" "eek russ blake blah blah Blah". Pocojoke is not as bad as its made to be. No more problems than any other city. If they didn't tear down his condemned building none of this would probably even matter to him.
Crosswalks are good if they are used. In Salisbury , they are not!
Police do not enforce the issue.
I'm sure it is the same in Pocomoke.The city is not responsible for the deaths.
Hey in Salibury we spend big buck to put up crosswalks that are never used lke the one on 50 and Nanticoke.
I drive into Pocomoke twice a month to take items for my grandmother who has lived in Pocomoke for the last 40 years or so. The poor city has gone down the drain. I am glad that they are tring to bring some life back into that city. But Twice a month driving past Walmart I have to dodge people darting to or from Walmart. Now I can understand that people do not want to walk all the way down to the light to cross. However, People need to use common sense and teach their kids common sense to pay attention. MD's law is to allow pedestrians to cross however this is at legal crosswalks.
I do feel bad for this woman. As I am a single mother and life is hard, but... I teach my child and do everything I can to protect her and crossing a major highway with her in my arms. Come on people wake up.
BossHogg and Wymzie,
Most times I agree with your posts. I have a great deal of respect for what your trying to accomplish with your blog. BUT....I can't go for this one. I work much longer than 8 hours a day. I carry weight most days which is greater than that of a 4 year old. (just aroung my mid-section if you listen to Joe
.....lol)
The tax payers and your local govt. (regardless of the level of their corruption) didn't make that 4 year old child. Nor did they place it in her arms or force her to work for minimum wage. It appears that women was a victim of a terrible error in judgement. Her judgement. It is a sad event, no doubt. But I can't see how an error in judgement on her part can be construed to be the fault of your local govt. We, as a society, must start placing blame where blame belongs.
Well Said, Grandad.
Wymzie,
What yo are saying sounds all nice and fuzzy, but you cant just throw up a crosswalk where the "organic crossing" as you keep calling it ends up. In order to do that, it would be considered a mid-block crosswalk, that is a crosswalk not at an intersection. Sometimes that can be tolerated, however, you are talking about a highway with 85 percentile speeds of over 60 mph. Not only would you be creating a false sense of security for the users of the crosswalk, you are also placing an unfair burden of liability on a motorist who now has to stop on a dime if there is a pedestrian in the crosswalk. If you are talking about more that just the markings and the signs, say a pedestrian crossing signal, there is no way that there are near enough pedestrians crossing there to meet the warrants for the signal.
I am afraid what this boils down to is just a tragic, avoidable accident. People must start taking responsibility for their own actions and not blame govt for these types of things.
Hold ON!!!
All of you are missing my point entirely!
The woman used poor judgment Period!!! I totally get that! If I was in the same position as she was I wouldn't have walked across the highway.
My point goes farther back than the tragedy of the other night.
It goes back to responsibility of our elected officials to take into account all of the citizens whom they represent.
Pocomoke asked for nothing! Nada! Zilch! in their negotiations with Walmart.
By allowing Walmart permission to move in; not only did they kill 3 grocery stores, and 2 major department stores that were in walking distance, but also did not make the business that would essentially kill the 'old town' make provision for the walking citizens.
Along with the Crosswalk that I petitioned the SHA to install I have also asked that speed limits be lowered through town. From Dividing Creek Rd to Sheephouse Rd.
in a graduated manner from 55, to 45, to 35, by the time you get to the Walmart intersection.
Pocomoke and Princess Anne are the only towns on the shore that do not have lower speed limits through their towns on 13. Now that there is so much going on, on the other side of the highway, it is essential that the speed limits are lowered. Perhaps if the driver had been doing 35 instead of 55 then he may have had the time to see her, or her him. These are simple things to address, that don't cost millions of dollars.
Maryland is famous for sprawl.
Poor city planning, is one of the major polluting factors that we face as a society, and Maryland leads the way.
How many times have you seen a new community built with winding roads and culdesacs with a shopping center backing up to it?
Yet there is a large drainage ditch dividing the two and usually a fence running along the back side of shopping center. There is usually only a couple of hundred yards dividing the two properties and if pedestrians had been considered quick trips to the market without a car would be quite easy. However the inaccessibility created by our sprawl designers makes us have to get in our cars and drive a little under a mile or so, instead of having the option of walking the short distance that truly separates them.
Older city's such as Charleston, SC. Georgetown in DC and most of DC, San Francisco,CA as a whole are living/working communities. People live and work and are able to shop, dine and do their laundry all on their block.
These cities work because they were built with pedestrians in mind. Once everyone owned a car we started spreading out and neighborhoods were built to accommodate the auto and not the pedestrian.
Now cities all over the country are realizing the error of their ways, as fuel prices skyrocket, and our forests and natural resources are depleted we are coming back to the basic premise of block by block grid style neighborhoods with mixed use zoning, is really the most effective plan for any successful city to follow.
We can not turn back the hands of time. We cannot bring back this woman and her child.
But we can hold our officials accountable in the future and be involved in P&Z in our towns to be sure that our community features are connected not only by streets but logical cross ways for pedestrians.
Gated communities, culdesacs, and dead end roads don't work. They bring in the end, hardship and wasteful spending and wasted fuel, not to mention loss of community.
I hope now, I have made myself clear.
We can sling mud at each other all we want. Facts are 2 people are dead and those left are mad, and scared and confused. It's easier to point fingers and come up with grandiose ideas for how to fix things than it is to deal with the fact that a little girl never got to go to school or learn how to ride her 2 wheeler or say "Look at me Mamma, I'm flying" when she rides a swing. There's no grey area there. Just sadness and loss.
We have three children and the one thing / life lesson I have drilled into their heads over the past 23-years is..
BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AT ALL TIMES
Looking both ways before crossing any street from a dirt road to an Interstate is common sense.
The point we are trying to get across is that there is no safe way to cross the Route 13 in Pocomoke City.
The cross walk is simply two lines painted across the Highway with no traffic controls.
That said, one must excercise just as much caution in crossing at the 'marked crosswalk' as one needs to excercise at the 'organic' crossing point.
Water flows to the lowest point.
People who are walking out of nescessity will take the shortest most logical route. (or lowest point)
The Pocomoke City Government has no consistency in sidewalks through town.
The major routes children walk to the elementary, middle & high scools all require children to walk in the street during 'rush hour' traffic.
The people actually own the sidewalk in front of your house, but this is not a required disclosure in real estate transactions...
So its surprise suprise when Boss Hogg decides that you need to repair your sidewalk.
The house next door has brick sidewalk, the next three houses have no sidewalks.
Regulations & codes are not enforced against ANY elected member of the City government.
The 'housing inspector' is not qualified to provide a home inspection for a loan and would not be qualified for his job if he were to apply today.
Am I pissed off because an unqualified 'housing inspector' condemned my historic steel I-beam and brick art deco building and would not provide specific repair orders? You bectcha!
Am I pissed off the City Manager told me the city was going to TAKE my building and OWN it forever? You betcha...
Am I pissed off that the City Manager LIED to me about availability of State / Federal loans & funding for the property? You betcha!
Am I pissed off that the City Manager, after being shown letters of support for my building from:
The White House
The Governor
Congressman
State Delegates
State Senator
County Commissioners
Deputy Director HUD Community revitalization programs
That all said the funding application had to come from the City Manager and they support the project.
The City Manager told me I don't care who you have a letter from, get the F*CK out of my office. (it was a scheduled meeting)
Am I pissed off that after giving up and selling the building, the people who had a contract went to the City Manager and asked how much of a completion bond they would have to post while the repairs were being made.
He told them that he did not have to give them an amount, he did not have to tell them what repairs were needed because the city was going to demolish the building regardless of anyones plans.
Am I pissed off that the City Manager drove a bulldozer through my property? You betcha...
My being a pissed off man has nothing to do with the fact that the city has done ZERO PLANNING FOR PEDESTRIANS...
The Pocomoke City limits now stretch from the Virgina / Maryland State line to the Pocomoke River for about 7-miles along the Route 13 and there is not one single controlled intersection to safely cross the highway.
The reason is one man rule for 32-years...
Guess what: I am not the only person pissed off and more people are learning the truth each day.
Wymzie, Do you really think drivers are going to drive 35 mph. Princess Anne and Pocomoke have pretty limited acces onto rt 13 going through their towns. Fact: drivers will only reduce their speed if they perceive a need to. Fact: the greater the variation in speed of motorists on a highway the more likelihood there is for a crash. Have you looked into the crash listings for that particular stretch of highway, and if so, could the accidents be succeptable to correction by a lower speed? This generally does not mean intersection crashes that are usually failure to yield or someone running a red light. A good rule of thumb for establishing speed limits is to look at what the 85 percentile speed is. If 85% of the traffic is traveling at 50 mph, and there are not unusual amounts of crashes, then 50 mph is a safe speed limit for that roadway. Was the signal in place before walmart built? I am sure if walmart had chosen a location other than that signalized intersection, the state would have required a traffic signal study and that could have possibly led to an additional signal somewhere. (such as how the one in front of Home Depot in berlin was done) How many pedestrians cross the highway in a typical hour on a typical day? Just because a ped signal isnt present, doesnt mean that this isnt a real crosswalk. If the crosswalk is marked, then it is a crosswalk. I understand it is important to plan, but there must be a balance. You cant have one business responsible for fixing the lack of sidewalks in pocomoke.
Undermine,
1)Dividing Creek Road 50 mph
2)Winter Quarters 40 mph
3)Walmart Intersection 35 mph
4)11 Street Expansion
(future) 35 mph
5)Hardees/RT 113 40 mph
6)Stockton Rd 45 mph
7)Market St. Ext. 50 mph
8)Sheephouse Road 50 mph
Past Sheephouse Road are over a dozen business's with direct highway access
9)Brantly Road 55mph
That is nine roads and over twelve business' with the old direct access to 13. Cambridge and Easton both require slowdown to 35mph and given the fact that most people do at least 5mph over the speed limit then your still doing way better than the existing 50 that the state lowered it to this last summer.
No I haven't run the stats that you asked about, I've just lived in front of the fire house and next door to the tow truck driver for 20 years and hear on a regular basis about the accidents out on the highway.
All the comments here make me stop and think. But "mata" made me tear up and get a lump in my throat. We can't bring back this young mother and beautiful child. We can keep them in the forefront of our minds and fight so others don't suffer the same fate. I just want to send up a prayer for these precious souls. They are together and happy now. Their families are suffering and it is senseless. EVERYONE involved has some portion of the blame. So let's DO something about it. Make things happen before we're devastated by more deaths of our friends and family.
countrygirl@heart
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