By: Stephanie Ramos Vargas, Crime, Justice and Safety Reporter
BLACKSBURG, Va. – There has been an increase in pedestrians in the downtown area of Blacksburg where people walk around the city from one place to another including business places, restaurants and the Virginia Tech Campus area. People are walking more and thus pedestrains share the road with vehicles.
Businesses and organizations downtown see these interactions each day. While there are crosswalks, signals and with the recent lower speed limit to help manage traffic, some businesses owners say they still see conflict between drivers and pedestrians.
Tracie, with Blacksburg Inc., said she has seen an increase in the number of people walking downtown.
“Main Street was never built for this many cars,” Tracie said.
She explained that more individuals are opting for walking over driving, which she believes is a good thing. With more pedestrians being involved, both drivers and pedestrians are still sharing the same road. Most of the cars passing through the town center travel through Main Street. Meaning there are many opportunities where drivers and pedestrians come into contact.
The number of pedestrians also changes throughout the year. With Virginia Tech football games and other events bringing more people downtown, Tracie said large groups sometimes cross the road before the signal tells them to do so.
Jessica Jones, owner of New River Art & Fiber, sees pedestrian traffic outside her business throughout the week.
Jones describes the pedestrian traffic around her business as “heavy” and said people are in the area throughout the day and night. She said Saturday mornings during the farmer market and the weekend nights after 8 p.m. are often busy.
Jones said pedestrian signals have been added near her business, but she still sees conflicts at crosswalks.
“People almost get hit in those crosswalks all the time, even with the addition of the new walk sign,” Jones said.
One issue Jones notices is the drivers turning while pedestrians have the walk signal. She said drivers making the right turn on red will turn into a crosswalk while pedestrians are crossing.
She also mentioned drivers in the flashing yellow turning lane.
“A lot of drivers just go, even though pedestrians have to walk sign and the right of way,” Jones said.
Intersection crosswalk right outside New River Art & Fiber. Blacksburg, Va on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (photo by Stephanie Ramos Vargas, TheNewsFeedNRV.com)
Jones said she would like the traffic signals to separate pedestrian and vehicle movement. Under the system, she described traffic in every direction, would stop while pedestrians crossed. Vehicles traffic will continue after the pedestrian crossing period is done.
“I would like to see pedestrians have full access to the intersections at one time, and no cars are allowed to go,” Jones said.
Businesses can also help identify problems around downtown, according to Tracie. Owners and employees spend time in the area and may notice when a signal or crosswalk is not working.
“We can rely on them sometimes to let us know that something is not working properly,” Tracie said.
She said businesses may contact officials when they notice a problem, which allows the issue to be reported.
Some locations present more challenges than others.
Tracie pointed out the area from the post office and the UPS Store. That there is no crosswalk directly connecting the two sides of the street; she shared that people do not always want to walk to the nearest intersection and just cross there.
A view from the front of the post office showing how far the crosswalk is. Blacksburg, Va on Friday, Sept 18, 2026. (photo by Stephanie Ramos Vargas, TheNewsFeedNRV.com)
She also mentioned the area around Draper Road and Jackson Street, where pedestrian space meets vehicle traffic.
Tracie said changes have been made downtown as pedestrian and vehicle traffic increases. One of those changes was lowering the downtown speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph.
“I love that they change it from 25 to 20,” Tracie said.
She said the lower speed limit can encourage drivers to slow down and watch for pedestrians.
More people walking can also affect downtown businesses. Instead of driving through Main Street, pedestrians have more opportunities to see stores, restaurants, and other places downtown.
Still, Jones’ experience shows that having a crosswalk or pedestrian signal does not prevent all conflict. Drivers may be turning while pedestrians are crossing, and both groups must pay attention to signals and traffic around them.
Jones believes changing the timing of traffic signals could reduce some other interactions. Tracie also said pedestrian safety can continue to improve as downtown grows.
“We can always improve things that we’re doing safely,” Tracie said. “I think making the community aware is part of that.”
As more people walk downtown Blacksburg, pedestrians and drivers will continue to use the same streets. Crosswalks, traffic signals and speed limits can guide them, but Jones’s and Tracie’s observations show that pedestrian safety also depend on how people respond to those measures.
