The National Capital Area Transportation Planning Board's Street Smart campaign was created in 2002 by the TPB's Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee,
a local group of knowledgeable, dedicated professionals working in the trenches --
literally -- to make our roads, sidewalks and pathways safer for all of
us.
The decision to start the campaign -- funded by governmental entities throughout our region -- was the product of visionary thinking.
The campaign's been run four times over the past five years -- broadcast and print advertising and flyering for about a month. It's aimed at "saving lives and reducing injuries by changing the behavior of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists."
On Wednesday a reader highlighted the campaign's goal to eventually reduce by 10% the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed each year in the greater Washington, DC area. He wasn't laudatory.
Over the past 12 years, the average number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed has been 87. So, the eventual goal of the Street Smart campaign is to reduce the number of deaths to about 79.
The members of the TPB Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee work day-in and day-out for our counties and cities ... examining accident data, recommending engineering or other "traffic calming" improvements at dangerous intersections, proposing installation of electronic pedestrian crossing countdown signs, advocating for more bike lanes, and talking up enforcement of traffic laws -- just to name some of their many responsibilities.
There's a phrase, "it comes from the top, down." Sure, sometimes, it
does indeed come from the bottom, up. But at some point -- except with
election ballot questions -- public policy decisions have to be made by someone, or a
group of someones, at the top.
As explained in the 2006 campaign's annual report, there are four E's that are key to increasing pedestrian and bicycle safety: Education, Enforcement, Evaluation and Engineering. Street Smart focuses primarily on education -- but it does touch upon and can help drive the other three E's.
It is potentially a powerful vehicle to significantly advance our region's commitment to all four E's. But social change ain't gonna happen with a 30-day public education campaign -- whether it's continuous or whether it's split in two as is now being proposed.
There's a yiddish word, "shande," pronounced SHAHN-dah. Technically, it means, "shame." But the way it's used is how your mother, in wanting to see you find the "right one" already and be happy, might have said, "Such a shande, my son [daughter] would make someone a wonderful husband [wife]."
And that's why I'm proposing a regionwide summit to bring together the people with the energy and the resources to design and support a sustained, robust Street Smart campaign. There is such great potential value to the Street Smart initiative -- if only our political leaders find the will to match it with the resources it needs to succeed.
From a memo about campaign funding dated Nov. 7, 2006 to TPB members -- many of whom are your elected officials:
Few jurisdictions met the 5 cents per capita for 2007. Unfortunately, the funding trend is not keeping pace with rising advertising costs, limiting the scope of the campaign.
According to the Pedestrian Injury in the Washington DC Metropolitan Region report, prepared by the Inova Regional Trauma Center's Northern Virginia Prevention Center,
Approximately 3000 pedestrians are involved in crashes with motor vehicles every year in the DC Metro region ... Most of these injuries and deaths can be prevented by changing road design, vehicle design, and/or the behavior of the pedestrian and/or driver.
Such a shande.
It's high time for a summit.
_______________________________________________________________
Dennis Jaffe
is a community activist in Washington, DC promoting solutions that help
people get from Point A to Point B safely and efficiently.
Arlington County makes it easy to live without needing a car. An excellent book recently out by Chris Balish called "How to Live Well Without Owning a Car" is a great resource and an inspiring story (see recommended reading on the left frame). 
Mr. Balish is not a granola-eating tree hugger. In fact, he owned a $36,000 V8 SUV, which he loved and drove everywhere (listen to his story on NPR). Circumstances made it so that he had to get by without his car for a few days. A few days turned into a couple of weeks and then a month. He suddenly realized that he had $800 more in his bank account and was getting along just fine without the car. So he never bought a new one. And that was in St. Louis!--not New York City or San Francisco. Now he lives in Los Angeles. . .without a car.
What's your story? Arlington County Commuter Services would like to hear from Arlingtonians who live without a car (or perhaps families who live with just one--i.e., "car-lite"). As we continue to improve services and make Arlington easier and easier to get around car-free, we would like to highlight residents who are already experiencing the advantages of the car-free life. 
