[Durham INC] roadside solicitation

[RW Pickle]

Does anyone have an idea why Durham City has yet to adopt an ordinance
banning roadside solicitation? The County did this more than a year ago.

I am wondering because their seems to be more and more of these folks and
I almost ran over one yesterday. Because he was in the median, I guess he
thought he had the right of way even though I had a green light and his
crosswalk was telling him not to cross (it was orange). He got pissed at
me and yelled something as I turned in front of him as he was crossing,
but I had the green light and he had a don't cross sign. It's time our
City dealt with this issue in a manner that would make our streets safer.
Not just for the folks who drive on them, but for the folks who stand out
there as traffic whizzes by. If you believed the Ministers, Substance
Abuse Councilors, Psychiatrists and others that spoke before the County
Commissioners the night they dealt with this, why would anyone let these
folks continue to do something like this? It's the folks in the traffic
behind the accident just waiting for the place to happen that will be the
victims here.

I am about ready to start a petition drive to get the necessary signatures
to put it on the ballot and let the voters of Durham decide if our City
Council doesn't have the desire to deal with it. If you talk about this to
the folks around you, you'll see that getting these folks off the roads is
a positive thought and very few would say it was not a positive thing.

Is the $25 fee really such a great benefit to our tax base that innocent
folks (who may be mentally ill or on substances) may die because of our
speeding traffic and crowded streets? Not to mention the innocent folks
who might be injured avoiding this accident when someone wanted to stop
and give them a $1.00. Is that all any of this dangerous behavior is
really worth to the folks who make the rules?  In the dark; with their
dogs; how bad does it have to get before we put a stop to it? Does someone
have to die first?

I don't believe INC has ever dealt with the issue and taken a position.
Perhaps with this email the ball will get rolling...

Randy Pickle
27 Beverly