Washington’s suburbs — especially Fairfax and Prince George’s counties — are far more dangerous for pedestrians than the District itself, according to a study released Wednesday by the nonprofit Coalition for Smarter Growth.
The group used a pedestrian danger index [PDI], which compares the rates of pedestrian deaths with the amount people walk in a community, to rank Washington-area counties in terms of safety. Fairfax and Prince George’s counties were deemed the least safe jurisdictions for pedestrians, while Arlington, Alexandria and the District were named the safest. In Prince George’s, for example, 1 in 16 crashes ends in death, while 1 in 48 crashes results in a fatality in the District.
Analysts said the study found that the more urban a region was, the safer it was for pedestrians because planners had designed streets to ensure secure environments for people walking.
Coalition leaders said changing demographics, including an influx of immigrants and increasing numbers of seniors who choose not to drive, has led to dramatic growth in the number of people who walk, bike and take mass transit in the counties that surround D.C.
Suburban communities that previously designed their roads with drivers in mind should change their focus and construct roads using engineering principles that highlight pedestrian needs, according to Cheryl Cort, policy director with the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“Our communities are changing,” Cort said. “Places that used to be thought of as wholly car-dependent are now home to many more walkers. We spend so much money on designing roads for cars, but in many areas, we’ve got to start thinking about designing for pedestrians now too.”
Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay, who has challenged the Virginia Department of Transportation’s efforts to reduce speed limits from 45 to 35 miles per hour along Route 1 in Alexandria without consulting area residents, said his county is already taking steps to address the problem.
“I don’t think changing speed limits alone will change anything,” McKay said. “There are infrastructure investments that need to happen as well. In Fairfax, we’re requiring new development along major arterial roadways to provide sidewalks or trails. We need to add street lighting and medians that provide safe refuge for pedestrians too.”
