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Articles
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| Council toughens law in hopes of protecting pedestrians |
VOICE writes, "By ELIZABETH WIENER
Current Staff Writer
Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh wants to boost fines for drivers who don't brake for pedestrians in crosswalks. Her bill, introduced Tuesday, would jump the fine dramatically from $50 to $500.
Seven other council members -- more than the majority needed for passage -- co-introduced the bill, which responds to a recent wave of pedestrian fatalities in the city. Twenty-five pedestrians have died after being hit by autos so far this year, up from 17 in 2006.
Cheh's bill reacts to widespread agreement that cars are not stopping for pedestrians, especially at unsignalized crosswalks, and that police often fail to ticket for the offense.
"We need to change the culture, and make it a matter of course to yield to pedestrians," as is common in some cities, said Cheh. She noted that the Brookings Institution recently named Washington the "most walkable" metropolitan region in the United States but she warned it won't retain the title if cars continue to run down pedestrians."
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Two recent pedestrian deaths in Ward 3 have focused attention on the issue. Both were elderly residents who were crossing major roads at crosswalks -- one on Wisconsin Avenue, where a police car hit the pedestrian, and the other on Connecticut Avenue. Both incidents are still under investigation.
Last Thursday Mayor Adrian Fenty joined top transportation and police officials for a targeted "crosswalk enforcement" drill at a well-used unsignalized crosswalk at Idaho and Wisconsin avenues, just a half-block from the site of the earlier fatality.
Police, who acted as decoys and then pulled over cars that failed to stop, say that typically fewer than half of all drivers yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Other accidents occur when drivers pass a vehicle that has stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier has pledged to increase enforcement for such violations and to cite more pedestrians who cross against signals or outside crosswalks.
Cheh's bill would also direct the District Department of Transportation to post information about the new penalties at crosswalks and intersections. The signs would say, "D.C. LAW: Failure to Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalks $500 Fine." Fines would go into a fund dedicated to improving pedestrian safety.
Other council members agreed with the urgent need for higher fines. "I stood trying to cross Connecticut Avenue last night with 10 or 12 other people, and cars just sped by," said at-large Council member Carol Schwartz. She said she and others in the group didn't even step into the crosswalk for fear of adding to the city's pedestrian fatality count.
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Posted on Dec 24, 2007 14:11pm.
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