(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT), working the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Maryland and Virginia agencies, is participating in the 2005 Street Smart Campaign, a regional media and enforcement effort to reduce pedestrian and cyclist injuries. Street Smart includes police enforcement at high-crash locations and distribution of English and Spanish-language traffic safety brochures.
“DDOT vigorously pursues safety in all its operations,” said Douglas Noble, DDOT’s chief traffic engineer. “Safety is part of DDOT’s standing mission to make the transportation system safer by implementing the three E’s of transportation safety: Education, Engineering and Enforcement.”
Street Smart is focused on educating pedestrians to be sensitive and responsive to traffic rules and conditions and increasing driver awareness of pedestrians and bicyclists. High-risk pedestrian and bicyclist violations, such as crossing against pedestrian signals, disrupting the flow of traffic and failing to follow traffic rules, will all be targeted. The program will emphasize compliance with the District’s new law requiring a complete stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk without traffic signals, rather than simply yielding.
To coordinate and promote pedestrian safety citywide, DDOT recently hired a new pedestrian coordinator. George Branyan, formerly the Pedestrian, Bicycle and School Zone Safety Program Coordinator for the Maryland Highway Safety Office, will concentrate on raising public awareness for pedestrians and drivers with the goal of increasing the number of pedestrians and cyclists safely using the District’s streets and sidewalks. He will promote safety in coordination with MPD and other DC agencies and within DDOT, and work in partnership with Virginia and Maryland jurisdictions.