Tommy Blog Ward 6 Pedestrian Safety Report | Ward 6 Pedestrian Safety Report |
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| Written by Tommy Wells | |
| Thursday, 15 May 2008 | |
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Last year, 25 pedestrians were killed in the District. Every day, there are countless more near misses with our neighbors trying to walk safely to and from school, work, errands, the park, and more. In February and March of this year, I hosted a two-part community forum on pedestrian safety in the ward -- focusing on identifying problems as well as developing solutions.
The energy and ideas that came from our two pedestrian forums were very helpful. For everyone that attended, thank you very much for all of your hard work. We identified several systemic issues such as traffic calming needs, lack of sufficient pedestrian and driver education, greater road planning that includes pedestrian access, and policy decisions the city has made in the past that make it more difficult for pedestrian safety. In addition, many of you helped identify very specific intersections and streets that need improvement. At the solutions forum, you rolled up your shirt sleeves and worked with key decision makers on ways to get engaged to make a difference. As just one example, following the MPD breakout session, officers targeted several of the recommended intersections and cracked down on enforcement with hundreds of tickets issued to drivers that weren’t complying with pedestrian safety laws. I plan to use this Pedestrian Safety Report as a guide over the next year to work on several fronts for our neighborhoods. I know I can count on you to update my office and our efforts on new needs, new problems and new solutions – making this a living, breathing document we can continuously update and improve. Thank you again for all of your hard work that went into this report. You can Click Here to download and read the report.
Readers have left 2 comments. (1) Untitled 2008-05-20 07:07:32 This is a very proactive and positive step, thank you very much Mr. Wells. I wasn't able to attend your community meetings on the issue, but one of the steps that would be great to take is the installation of pedestrian signals in and around Capitol Hill and the M Street area. There is one in Chevy Chase which brings all Connecticut Avenue traffic to a stop, so pedestrians can cross both Connecticut and the side street without the worry of left turning cars mowing them down. Please ask DDOT to install similar lights in our commercial strips. While drivers may not like them, walkers do! Written by Guest User () (2) Untitled 2008-05-29 15:43:43 Thank you so much for your efforts on our behalf. I was not able to attend the meetings either, but did get a chance to read the Pedestrian Safety Report. I saw 17th street NE & SE on the report, but would like to add that there be traffic calming measures on 17th Street SE between MASS AVE, SE and Potomac Ave SE. Currently there isn't anything and speeding commuters make crossing the street very dangerous. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 May 2008 ) |
The interest, concern and urgency around improving pedestrian safety are palpable across Ward 6 and the city. No one needs to wait until a tragedy to take action and the recent pedestrian safety forums were a proactive effort to share updated information and work directly on some shared ideas for progress. As I continue to work on issues around making our neighborhoods more livable and walkable, slowing the speeding traffic on our streets and creating pedestrian improvements are of top concern.
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