The death of a man chasing after a Metrobus on Monday night has led one activist to question Metro’s pedestrian safety efforts. The transit agency responds that its riders need to use common sense when hailing a bus.
Monday’s incident was the sixth pedestrian fatality involving a Metrobus in 21 months and the second this summer.
The yet-unnamed 62-year-old victim was trying to flag down the bus, which was headed northbound in the 1400 block of 7th Street Northwest, at about 9 p.m. when he lost his balance and fell under the right front wheel, police said. The man was taken to Howard University Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Police said it appears the incident was an accident. Marcus Grant, the bus operator, has worked for Metro since June 2001 and as a bus driver since June 2005.
“If it’s safe enough, we tell the drivers to stop and accommodate,” Candace Smith, Metro spokeswoman, said of situations when a person tries to hail a bus. “If it’s not, they keep on going. People have to use common sense. Is it safe to run in the street? We wouldn’t encourage anybody to run in the street.”
Terry Lynch, executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations, fired off a letter Tuesday to Metro General Manager Dan Tangherlini asking whether the transit system has provided additional staff training in the wake of recent fatalities and how it is educating riders about pedestrian safety.
“Part of pedestrian safety is educating the customer, educating the public,” Lynch said. “Metro needs to tell pedestrians never to chase after the bus. You cannot teach common sense and you cannot eliminate pedestrian error. You can reduce it though.”
Coinciding with a new school year, Metro issued a news release last week promoting rider and pedestrian safety tips aimed at children.
2006 Metrobus fatalities
» June 8, 2002: A woman is struck and killed crossing Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights.
» May 10, 2002: A 24-year-old man is struck and killed in Charles County when the bus driver swerved to avoid a deer.
