Behind the deaths of the 52 people — pedestrians, bicyclists and others — in in traffic incidents last year are stories of heartbreak and trauma, of failed efforts to make D.C.’s streets safer and, most glaring, of the Bowser administration’s indifference to tackling the carnage on our streets.
Washington, D.C
Opinion | D.C. must step up on road deaths
Small fixes, such as getting a crosswalk painted or a speed hump installed, can take years of emails, calls and in-person meetings. Advisory neighborhood commissioners and residents must act as safety advocates — a role that the experts at the D.C. Department of Transportation should be playing. Meanwhile, people — walking, bicycling and driving — continue to get hurt on those very streets that have been long identified as dangerous.
In response to the dozens of deaths, hundreds of crashes and uncounted number of people suffering as a result of being hit by a driver, DDOT deploys hollow metaphors, comparing Vision Zero to running a marathon. A marathon requires will, effort and the desire to move forward. Instead, last year alone, the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) stymied efforts to make Connecticut Avenue NW safer and slow-rolled much-needed safety improvements throughout the District. The Vision Zero goal slips further away, demonstrated by the fact that traffic deaths were at a 16-year high in 2023.
This glacial pace contrasts sharply with the unique momentum for cycling in D.C. Last year saw another record of Capital Bikeshare trips with more than 4 million and 358,601 rides in November, a 38.1 percent increase over the prior November. 2023 also saw the inception of two family biking groups, Ward 5 Family Biking and Hill Family Biking, each drawing hundreds of bikers at every monthly ride. Micromobility continues to accelerate. Government agencies fail to keep pace with the progress.
In 2024, D.C. residents are not asking to reinvent the wheel. Ms. Bowser’s administration has a long list of safety measures on its desk. We are asking for them to be implemented, and for DDOT to run the marathon forward.
Brooke Bernold, Washington