DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced on Tuesday, October 12 there will be immediate acceleration of the city’s roadway and intersection improvements for pedestrian safety.
“The work to make our roads and sidewalks safer is urgent,” Bowser said in a statement. “In addition to accelerating safety improvement projects citywide, residents deserve a faster process for having dangerous conditions on our roads and sidewalks addressed. We can and will move faster, and implementing a streamlined, less bureaucratic process is the first step in making that happen.”
Among the new measures that will help drivers act responsibly and slow them down at crosswalks are the installation of speed humps, stop signs, right turn hardening tools, driver feedback signs, high visibility crosswalks, concrete curb extensions, and extended leading pedestrian intervals.
Today @MayorBowser & @DDOTDCDirector announced the acceleration of safety improvement projects citywide.🔗https://t.co/Arohp5CtU9#VisionZeroDC https://t.co/XovxF84XcS
— DDOT DC (@DDOTDC) October 12, 2021
A total of 100 intersections which are considered part of DC’s “high-crash, high-injury corridors” will be primarily targeted and DDOT will publish progress on a dashboard on its website.
Acting DDOT Director Everett Lott stated that DC officials have been reminded of the significance of traffic safety after a number of tragic crashes that recently occurred in the District.
“We’re increasing workloads and streamlining processes to finish our safety improvement projects quicker, and we’re also doing what we can to deter the reckless driver behavior that causes these senseless tragedies to begin with,” said Lott.
In addition, bureaucratic delays of the District’s Vision Zero projects will be eliminated, according to DDOT, which says community engagement will be more efficient in the Department’s addressing of traffic safety issues for a faster process.