R.I.P. Chloe Allen.

24 hours after the fact, the News and Tri ... scratch that. The newsp ... no.

Until our "newspaper" rediscovers the urge to represent New Albany, we'll be referring to it at this blog as the "paper." When it deserves respect again, we'll be happy to provide some.

At any rate, the paper finally got around to interrupting a steady stream of cooking school ads with a story about Chloe Allen's death.

The Street Department can't even keep the crosswalks painted. What does this say about the city's commitment to protecting walkers?

I recommend doing what we did on Sunday night. Stand on the corner for a while. See how fast the traffic moves, the number of red lights disregarded, the frequency of drivers texting, the overall no-man-land flavor of the intersection.

Just don't stand too close to the street. It isn't necessary to try crossing the street to gamble with your life -- and it's been this way for the 13 years I've lived three blocks down Spring, on a one-way street that functions as an interstate highway.

City Hall says it understands this, that it wouldn't have commissioned the Jeff "Walkability" Speck traffic study otherwise.

Yet, when trumpeting approaching design "changes" for Spring between Beharrell, city officials continue explaining these decidedly watered-down alterations with only two talking points: It's about automotive safety, and someone else will pay for most of it.

Try to find a Gahan lackey who'll talk for attribution about walkers and bicyclists in this context. They won't do it, presumably because they can't.

In the aftermath of Chloe Allen's tragic unnecessary death, our municipal government's knee-jerk cowardice is more than a mere insult. It goes beyond tasteless.

It's a threat to public safety.

Smart Growth America's Complete Streets Fundamentals

We are the Killers.