Rallies Across Region Put Focus on Safety
by Monte Reel, Washington Post
Hundreds of sign-waving residents staged curbside rallies throughout the Washington area yesterday to promote pedestrian safety, while police in Montgomery County and the District announced that they would target reckless driving -- and walking -- at specific intersections all week.
The rallies marked Safe Neighborhoods Day, which was first observed last year in Montgomery County at the urging of Pam Miller, a Bethesda resident whose daughter was injured by a car in front of their house. This year, Miller spearheaded an e-mail campaign to extend rallies regionwide.
Politicians, traffic-safety advocates and police attended yesterday’s rallies in more than 20 neighborhoods throughout the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia.
“Some neighborhoods are just putting out lawn signs, and some have just one person out there,” said Miller, an advertising executive, whose daughter recovered from her injuries. “But no matter where they live, everyone has the same stories of dangerous drivers, and everyone has the same experiences.”
At a rally along Western Avenue in Chevy Chase, the messages conveyed were simple and familiar -- look both ways when crossing the street, drive carefully around pedestrians. And local police told those in attendance that they would underscore the messages this week by writing tickets.
All this week, District police will monitor the 25 intersections with the highest accident rates for pedestrians, said Lt. Patrick Burke, the department’s traffic safety coordinator. Burke said officers will issue $50 citations to drivers who disobey traffic signs and $10 fines to careless pedestrians and bicyclists.
“We’ll be looking for pedestrians who step off the curb in a dangerous way, or those who cross in the middle of the street or against the light,” Burke said. “For motorists, it’ll be things like disobeying ‘No turn on red’ signs. We’ll also be ticketing bicycle couriers who use the sidewalks in the business district or dart out into traffic.”
In Montgomery County, police will conduct a “pedestrian crosswalk sting” Wednesday on Georgia Avenue in front of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton. Plainclothes officers will repeatedly cross the street, passing vehicle descriptions of discourteous drivers to nearby police, who will issue citations. The citations will carry a mandatory court appearance, and a judge will determine the fine.
A similar operation was conducted in Bethesda last month, resulting in 28 citations and three warnings at Old Georgetown Road and Cordell Avenue.
Montgomery County police spokeswoman Lucille Baur said the department hopes its increased visibility will make drivers and pedestrians more cautious around busy intersections and, as a result, reduce fatalities. From 1997 through 2000, 57 pedestrians were killed in Montgomery County. During the same time, Prince George’s County had 78 fatalities, the District had 68, Fairfax County had 53 and Arlington County had 11.
The number of fatalities in Montgomery County, which easily outpaced its homicide count during the same period, prompted officials to appoint a task force to address pedestrian safety two years ago. The group’s recommendations, released this year, include a $250,000 evaluation of the county’s 6,300 bus stops. Officials predict that as many as 1,200 bus stops will be moved closer to crosswalks to reduce injuries and deaths.
“Pedestrian safety is not just a Montgomery County problem,” said Del. William A. Bronrott (D-Montgomery). “It just looks like it is, because we’ve brought so much attention to it.”
Lon Anderson, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, attended the rally in Chevy Chase and said pedestrian injuries and fatalities are a byproduct of increasing traffic. Longer commutes create hurried and frustrated drivers, he said, and hurried and frustrated drivers create hazards for pedestrians.
It’s an issue “that’s been neglected regionwide until recently,” Anderson said.