The District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Pedestrian Program Coordinator, George Branyan, joined other transportation and Law enforcement leaders today to launch a regional pedestrian safety campaign. The Street Smart campaign is aimed at reducing the number of pedestrian injuries and deaths in the Washington metropolitan area with stepped up enforcement and public awareness efforts.

Speaking at the kickoff event, Branyan said, “As more people are on our sidewalks and crosswalks, as more cyclists take advantage of the nearly 40 miles of bike lanes in the city, we need to do everything in our power to protect our ‘greenest’ but also most vulnerable road users. Street Smart helps us do that.”

25 pedestrians were struck and killed in the District in 2007, a 13 year high. So far this year, 14 pedestrians and 2 cyclists have been killed, and DDOT and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are teaming up to try and further reduce the number of fatal accidents. Over the next several weeks, at locations across the city with a history of pedestrian crashes, officers will target drivers who speed or fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and pedestrians who cross against signals or dart into traffic. The enforcement effort is funded by overtime money from DDOT’s pedestrian safety program. Last year, MPD officers issued nearly 6,000 citations during the Street Smart enforcement waves, to both drivers and pedestrians.

City Council recently passed a bill that makes DC’s pedestrian law one of the toughest in the nation. Beginning on November 21st, the penalty for failing to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk will increase from a $50 fine to $250 and 3 points on your license. If a driver strikes a pedestrian in a crosswalk in the process of failing to stop, the penalty will be $500 and 6 points.

Earlier this year, DDOT released the final draft of the City’s first comprehensive Pedestrian Master Plan, which calls for a host of new and innovative policies, planning and engineering tools to help get people across the street safely. Also, DDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program has launched comprehensive planning efforts at 13 pilot schools, designed to tame traffic and make it safer and more fun to get to school by walking or biking.

For more information on DDOT’s bicycle and pedestrian programs, visit the DDOT web site at ddot.dc.gov.