(Don't) Walk This Way

It seems like there have been a large number of pedestrians struck and killed or injured around the Washington region recently despite a few high profile efforts to counter the tragedy. Part of the problem is that too many people are willing to take too many chances and aren't willing to take the extra time needed to use the facilities set up for their safety. The other problem is that there are too many drivers who simply aren't paying attention because they are distracted by loud radios or blissful ignorance of the potential calamity on a particular stretch of road. What I mean by the latter statement is that there are areas where it is well known that pedestrians will run across the road despite the lack of crossing markers. In many areas this can be blamed on the transportation planners and not just those who build roads. The placement of bus stops in the middle of a block and far away from any control in the form of signals or markings is foolish and irresponsible in my opinion.

I say all of this because I was driving the other day on a road where islands had recently been added as a sort of safe haven for pedestrians. The addition of these concrete safe places was a good idea but, once again, not very well thought out. You see, only some of the islands matched up with bus stops on both sides of the four-lane road. On two occasions within a one-mile stretch I witnessed shopping bag-laden pedestrians trying to run across all of the lanes to catch a bus that was just pulling up to a stop. These pedestrians were so focused on the bus that they paid little attention to the cars that were coming right at them to the point where one car had to hit the brakes so hard it created a squeal and the smoke of burning rubber. The pedestrian sort of turned to look at the source of all that racket and just kept going toward the bus.

It would help if transportation planners would work more closely with the local transit agency or with Metro to better plan the placement of bus stops or any other destinations that might cause pedestrians to feel the need to risk life and limb to cross the road. I know that drivers need to take responsibility and far too few of them do but it seems to me that better planning based on human behavior might help save lives.

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It is reassuring to read that more companies are offering some employees the option of teleworking. For many years this has seemed to be a no brainer. Not only does it allow companies to consolidate space and therefore reduce overhead but it takes cars off the road, not just a little but all the way. These people that telework are leaving the car in the garage and aren't even driving to a Metro garage or to the commuter train. The biggest argument against allowing employees to work from home seemed to always come from managers who were afraid that employees would goof off, play golf, watch television, surf the internet or anything other than work if they weren't being watched. Study after study has shown increased productivity levels among teleworkers. By the way, those employees are generally happier employees and have better home lives as a result. The environment benefits, congestion in lessened and people are happier. Teleworking is a win/win/win scenario.

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Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.

Comments

[David]

I think it is nuts that pedestrians cannot walk in the street, whenever they want to. We have been brainwashed into thinking we only deserve to be pinned onto tiny, little, sidewalks that frequently barely allow for two people to pass. Car people are mistaken in their belief that only they have a right to the road. I think we should do what they have done in some Dutch towns and remove all stop signs and lights. Then we will see just how fast car people want to drive, knowing they can be smashed at any moment by another vehicle at a crossing. As we have seen in these towns all car caused accidents drop dramatically and instantaneously. Why do we keep putting up with car centered nonsense? Seriously folks, driving is for dinosaurs. It's old, tired, and not very original.

[Joe]

RE pedestrian safety: Fox 5 News had a story yesterday about Montgomery County announcing a pedestrian safety initiative. They made the announcement at a press conference next to a dangerous intersection, and as they were making it people were jaywalking in the background. Check CommuterPage.com commuter news or www.myfoxdc.com -- the URL for the story is too long to paste here.