Dayton Neighbors Advocate for Safer Streets and Sidewalks
A group of neighbors and business owners in the South Park area of Dayton are concerned about a half mile stretch of Wayne Avenue, which they say is extremely dangerous for pedestrians.
Numerous traffic accidents, including the tragic death of 44-year-old resident Jennifer Johnson, who was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle in 2022 while waiting for a bus, prompted the coalition to come together to form The Wayne Avenue Traffic Safety Coalition. Their goal, to advocate for safety improvements with the city.
The president of the coalition, Willie Morris IV, is a parent of two young children who lives in the neighborhood says, “It’s just not safe to take children or anybody across Wayne Avene….at the end of the day, it’s culture of vehicles…tunnel vision, as fast as you can go.”
The speed limit is 35 mph, but Morris says that since they are on the downhill side of Wayne Avenue, former speed cameras found many cars going 50 to 55 mph.
Morris, who teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Dayton, cites the impact of speeding cars and narrow sidewalks on potential customers. “We have plenty of business here on Wayne Avenue, kind of in our South Park, Twin Towers neighborhoods that we want to see succeed and people feel nervous coming down here because there’s nowhere to be other than inside the building,” explained Morris.
Even businesses on Wayne Avenue have vehicles run into their buildings. Morris said that the cafe, Ghostlight Coffee, has had multiple cars crash into their building.
The coalition members began the work to make their voices heard. They spoke at city commission meetings and met with city officials to call for permanent traffic-calming measures on Wayne Avenue.
Throughout this time, the coalition prioritized getting feedback from the neighborhood. “It’s all about having our neighbor thought process put into the engagement and we’re simply just the mouthpiece in between the community and the city themselves.”
And in January, the Ohio Department of Transportation or ODOT completed a Wayne Avenue Safety Improvement Study. The report proposes targeted safety improvements to address the high-speed risks and safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists. Measures included improved bus shelters, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and a speed table.
According to the Planning Division Manager Tony Kroeger, the city of Dayton in many ways was built for a city of 260,000 people (1960) compared to the population today of 138,000.
“And at that 1960 peak, it was all about moving cars as rapidly as possible. So, we both have challenges and opportunity from that perspective — a lot to come back from, in terms of a disproportionate automobile focus of that 1960 time period, but also excess road capacity that can be used for other things such as sidewalk or bikeway or trees or some combination of all these.”
A major street that has recently had considerable work to improve safety is North Main Street. Kroeger says, “The current North Main Street project was actually brought to us by the state, due to the road’s poor safety record.”
A 2-year study by ODOT in 2017 showed 36 crashes involving pedestrians, with five of them resulting in fatalities. In 2024, the state launched the North Main Street Safety Project which spanned a long 2-to-3-mile stretch.
In areas, four lanes of traffic were reduced to two lanes to calm traffic with the other lanes for stopped traffic and turning. The curbs were widened which shortened crossing distance, 44 to 50 feet down to 30 feet of pavement for pedestrians to cross. Other installations include mid-block islands, assisting pedestrians with a mid-point refuge, if they can’t make it all the way across the street.
But not all drivers were happy with the changes. “For a while we were, we were, facing a barrage of phone calls…They feel like Main Street is the main corridor and should have four lanes. But we also have, you know, Riverside, a parallel corridor that can handle that traffic.” says City Engineer David Escobar, who is in charge of Public Works.
Kroeger added, “And while the implementation of the project has caused some consternation for those behind the wheel — everyone should remember that the project isn’t even done yet, and pedestrians were literally dying on this street.”
The total cost of the project was $6.5 million, with 90% coming from the state and 10% from local municipalities. The work included resurfacing concrete work, light installations and pavement markings, and pedestrian fixtures. “I think it’s an investment well worth it,” says City Engineer Escobar.
Encouraging communities to reach out to the engineering office and engage with them, Escobar says, “I can look at maps; I can look at data. But, you know, there’s also a feeling of living in the environment and knowing the daily activities that, that aren’t always captured by all the data that we can go through.”
He even saw a car pass him and run a red light when he was on Wayne Avenue. “You know, now I’ve been in the environment, I can understand and appreciate more, from their concerns.”
Escobar continues, “When we have a good community support and active community members that help us kind of grow that investment and bring in, more to the area.”
The construction of the safety project on North Main Street will be completed this year. For Wayne Avenue, a grant is being submitted to ODOT this year. The coalition and the city are hopeful funding will come through, but even if it does, it would still be several years before construction would begin.
What does Morris dream for Wayne Avenue? “I want to see Wayne Avenue safe enough that we feel comfortable walking to our children across the street to go to school in the morning…. to the point that we feel so comfortable that we can bring the most vulnerable members of our neighborhoods actively on the street, on their bikes, walking across the street and feel safe doing so. On top of that, obviously I want to see businesses succeed here on Wayne Avenue. …and I think there’s a lot of great things happening here in this corridor that people should be drawing attention to.”
Thank you for reading this article. What do you think of the safety improvements the city of Dayton has made? What ideas do you have for improving pedestrian safety?
Emiko Moore – Multi-Media Journalist
Emiko Moore is a graduate of Ohio State University has been a freelance producer for NBC News for the last 20 years, covering stories in southwest Ohio and in the tri-state area. She also hosted The Lebanon City Show and was a print journalist for the Western Star, focusing on Warren County. Prior to moving back to her hometown of Lebanon, OH, she worked in NYC for NBC TODAY and NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation. As a volunteer with Building Bridges Community Conversations, Ishinomaki Playground Project, and Miller Ecological Park, she believes it takes continuous work to strengthen communities. She is excited about journalism that explores the issues while highlighting solutions to bring about positive change.
