The District of Columbia is introducing additional measures to stop traffic accidents especially involving bicycles and pedestrians.
As part of the new measures, “Speed Stars” will be set up to slow down cars and “DezignLine” is planned to separate cars from bike lanes, according to WTOP, which reported that examples of DezignLine can be seen along Banneker Circle off L’Enfant Plaza in Northwest D.C.
And some “Speed Stars,” which are plate-sized speed bumps made of rubber attached to pavements, have been installed on the alley next to Miner Elementary School in Northeast.
“We’re also using a technology called K-71s, which are flex post bollards, but they are sturdier than the traditional bollards we’ve been using,” Jeff Marootian, director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), told WTOP regarding the new plans.
“What we are using are materials that are made of metal or wood or a hardened plastic that are more resilient to being struck by a vehicle and therefore would protect bicyclists who are in the bike lane.”
In order to slow down cars and other vehicles, the DDOT has already been using various other tools such as Bulb-out / Curb Extension, an extension of a curb in the form of a bulb, usually at an intersection, that narrows the vehicular pathway and inhibits fast turns, and shortens the crossing distance for pedestrians.
ChicaneChicane, which is described as “a series of fixed objects, usually extensions of the curb, which alter a straight roadway into a zigzag or serpentine path to slow vehicles”, and ChokerChoker, “a narrowing of the fixed street, often mid-block and sometimes near an intersection,” are just a few of DDOT’s strategies.
Forced Turns that are “islands used on approaches to an intersection that force drivers to turn in only one direction (usually right)” have also been one of the most trusted solutions of DDOT.
With her Vision Zero Initiative, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is aiming at “reaching zero fatalities and serious injuries to travelers of our transportation system, through more effective use of data, education, enforcement, and engineering” by the year 2024.