RICHMOND, Va. -- When Dorothy Leftridge settled in her new apartment at the Concord Complex in Richmond almost two years ago, the 77-year-old said she didn't anticipate the difficulties she would have trying to leave her home safely.
"Everybody here is at least 55 and older. We cannot get to where we need to go safely because of the traffic going so fast," Leftridge said.
Considering herself more able-bodied than most of her neighbors, Leftridge said it is extremely hard to cross the Chamberlayne and School Street intersection directly outside of her home.
"I have attempted to go out there and I've had to rush across the street and I've fallen at least four times," Leftridge said.
With a bank, the post office and a bus stop across the street, she said it's a difficult walk that many of them make multiple times a day.
There are people that are handicapped, wheelchairs, walkers, canes. It's just not enough time for us to cross the street!"
Barbara Roberts also lives at the Concord Apartments.
"One guy, he had to roll out the street from stopping to get hit. We are elderly people with medical problems and they need to take that into consideration," Roberts said.
She said the traffic light changes so fast and she and other residents are tired of risking their life to try and be independent.
"We are old and seniors and we need help," Roberts said.
She said this has gone on for too long now and she asks that not only the traffic light be slowed down but signage and signals be put up to allow people to get across comfortably.
"A lot of these people work, they work to pay their rent to survive and they need to be able to and feel comfortable about crossing that street and feel safe."
CBS 6 reached out to Councilwoman Lambert about the issue and was told they didn't see a request for this intersection in the system prior. However, if the new request is not addressed by the city in 30 days, her office would escalate the issue.
