Leaders at multiple agencies must work together if the District is going to seriously engage in a Vision Zero approach to improving the safety of road users, D.C. Pedestrian Advisory Council (PAC) Co-Chair Tony Goodman urged the D.C. Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment. Goodman’s comments were part of his testimony at the PAC’s March 6 annual oversight hearing.
“A meaningful Vision Zero approach to road safety, as practiced in other cities and countries around the world must include agencies such as the Department of Health, D.C. Office on Aging, the Department of General Services, and others,” Goodman testified. “Through quality design, infrastructure improvements, consistent enforcement, and wider public education we can move toward safer streets and zero fatalities.” Goodman reported to the committee that 10 pedestrians were killed in 2014. According to the Districtof Columbia Strategic Highway Safety Plan released in October 2014, there were 12 pedestrian fatalities in 2013 and 8 in 2012. More than 300 pedestrians are seriously injured in the District each year, according to the report.
In addition to encouraging cooperation for an impactful Vision Zero campaign, the PAC will be pushing District agencies to move forward on other initiatives in the year ahead, Goodman reported at the oversight hearing. Making sidewalk repairs, increasing automated and officer enforcement of laws affecting pedestrians, publicizing crash data, and improving intersections are some of the issues the PAC will be monitoring, Goodman said.