Communities Walking the Walk
By Ann O'Hanlon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 18, 2000

Drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians at some Alexandria crosswalks could be fined a hefty $500. Montgomery County is rolling out sidewalks by the mile--last year, the county built 3,000 more feet than it had the previous year, which, in turn, had seen 5,000 more feet than in 1997. And this fall, Fairfax County will host a transportation summit focused on walking.

The incentive for such changes comes in part from alarming pedestrian fatality rates--in Montgomery County, it has surpassed the homicide rate--and from a growing national consciousness that life should be simpler and safer for pedestrians.

From a blue-ribbon panel on pedestrians in Montgomery County to a million-dollar campaign in Arlington aimed at getting the youngest pedestrians to school safely, local jurisdictions are jumping on a bandwagon that began on the West Coast. After years of trying to make driving safer--from drunken-driving crackdowns to safe trucking standards and efforts to eliminate aggressive driving--the spotlight now is on folks on foot.

This summer, a pedestrian-triggered stoplight appeared at Alexandria's King Street Metro station, long a troublesome spot. And in Fairfax, new lighting at pedestrian danger points along Routes 7 and 50 seems to be reducing the accident rate for people crossing in the dark.

"You're seeing a lot more attention being paid to pedestrians in communities scattered across the country," said John Wetmore, a Montgomery County resident who sits on the blue-ribbon pedestrian safety panel and hosts "Perils for Pedestrians," a national cable program. "People woke up and realized their children can't walk to school, and they have to drive to the burger place across the street from work to get lunch. They figured there had to be a better way."

Despite the good intentions, pedestrian safety advocates say that problems for those who walk instead of drive won't be easy to solve. Since World War II, communities have been built with the car in mind.

But now the concept of "new urbanism" is spurring planners to create livable villages, not sprawling suburbs. Still, existing suburbs must be changed, a costly endeavor. And if the problem is not to continue, new developments need narrower roads, wider sidewalks and more safe crossing opportunities.

Pedestrian advocates say it will take a revolution to make all the necessary changes. If local governments have something less in mind, they warn, the result will be a series of insignificant, mini-initiatives.

"We give out nice little bookmarks that tell pedestrians to look both ways and motorists to look out for pedestrians," said Bill Wilkinson, of Bethesda, a member of Montgomery's panel and executive director of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking. "Is that going to change anybody's behavior? It's time to get beyond the feel-goods."

But others take a different tack, saying that it's not fair to blame only drivers. Pedestrians, they point out, are to blame for most of the accidents they are involved in.

David Vice, assistant commander of the Fairfax County Police Department's traffic division, said: "We're finding that the majority of pedestrian fatalities are . . . pedestrian error. In other words, they're not crossing at crosswalks or intersections."

Others say that many urban and suburban roadways encourage disobedience by pedestrians because there is too much fast traffic, the crosswalks are too far apart and the "Walk/Don't Walk" signals don't allow enough time to cross.

An example was Independence Avenue SW alongside the Tidal Basin. Cherry blossom enthusiasts found themselves at risk every spring. So last winter, the National Park Service installed six stoplights and crosswalks along Independence Avenue to help people cross safely.

"If you were law abiding on foot, you really had to circumvent the whole area," said Earle Kittleman, a Park Service spokesman.

In addition to efforts to fix what's wrong, there are efforts to make things right at the start.

The Federal Highway Administration has developed pedestrian-friendly course materials for transportation planners, because the old school didn't give them much guidance beyond how to make roads.

"I graduated in planning 10 years ago, and I think I may have heard the word 'pedestrian' a couple times," said Charlie Denney, of Arlington, who helps teach a planning course at the University of Virginia that incorporates the federal agency's material.

Students become experts at determining ideal locations for crosswalks or creating paths near cul-de-sacs so that residents are tempted to walk rather than drive.

New communities, including Kentlands in Montgomery County, are designed with pedestrians in mind, with narrower streets, sidewalks everywhere, and offices and stores within walking distance of houses.

Betsy Shiner said she decided to call Kentlands home mainly because of the inviting environment. She and her family walk to the shopping center a half-mile away.

"I would've never done that in our old community, which had no sidewalks," she said.

And residents of the older suburbs also find the new efforts, even if they are small, comforting.

Arlington resident Jean Mahaney, visiting Old Town Alexandria one recent afternoon, had no problem crossing busy Washington Street thanks to a new pedestrian signal that counts down the seconds left before the light changes.

"I like it," she said. "Without the countdown, I would dash across. . . . If I see that there's only two seconds, I would be more sensible."

The countdown signals have just arrived at a number of crossings in Arlington.

Among other, new initiatives are:

* A million-dollar effort by Arlington called "Safe Routes to School." The money will go to add sidewalks, slow down traffic on some streets and improve crosswalk signals.

* A two-year-old competition among Fairfax County police stations to improve pedestrian safety. The station with the best idea receives a grant to make it happen. So far, the contest has yielded flashing-message signs that warn cars of pedestrians at key locations.

* In Montgomery County, education efforts for both drivers and walkers, which improved traffic enforcement by police at places known to be dangerous, and more sidewalk construction. The newly convened blue-ribbon panel will advise the county in December 2001 on what else it should undertake.

* Fences along medians on busy streets in Arlington and Fairfax, thwarting jaywalking and steering pedestrians to the nearest crosswalk.

"People are not just asking for the area to be more pedestrian-friendly, they're demanding it," said Fairfax County Supervisor Penelope A. Gross (D-Mason). "Scarcely a week goes by that someone doesn't call my office asking for a sidewalk or a trail."

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