Bethany Beach council hears residents on crosswalks, sidewalks and cyclist behavior; committee outlines safety videos

Bethany Beach residents urged the council to add crosswalks and improve sidewalk maintenance, while the town’s bicycle- and pedestrian-safety committee outlined a public-education campaign of short safety videos and a forthcoming Office of Highway Safety (OHS) feature on Chief Foley.

At the public-comment period, Janet Freeman (319 Wellington Parkway) told the council, “what most of us would really like to see is a crosswalk at Wellington and Pennsylvania,” calling out pedestrian safety at that intersection. Later, resident Mary Ocherson said downtown sidewalks were “filthy” and asked whether the town could powerwash them more often; she also urged more signage or enforcement for cyclists who do not stop at signs.

Committee members reported workshops and community engagement at events such as the Ocean to Bay registration and said they are producing 30–90 second safety videos for use on the town website and other channels. A committee speaker noted the Delaware Office of Highway Safety has invited Chief Foley to be filmed for a safety segment, which the committee hopes to use for broader outreach.

Council members also discussed pending state legislation that would allow municipalities to lower maximum speed limits from 25 to 20 mph with appropriate signage; staff said the bill was tabled for now but may return in a fall session. In the legislative report, council member Bob summarized a separate statewide concern: analysis suggesting construction of large data centers could push power prices higher, and legislation that would let the Delaware Electric Cooperative refuse data-center interconnections for facilities that draw more than 50 megawatts.

Town staff addressed several maintenance and infrastructure items raised by residents: Cliff Grabier said DelDOT-supplied parts are delaying light-pole installations; parking-lot access repairs were slowed while lumber deliveries were awaited but work has resumed; and the town monitors algae in the canals monthly and considers current levels acceptable.