Gordon Chaffinis a freelance journalist who focuses on infrastructure and traffic news and insights for Street Justice. You can support independent journalism by subscribing to Gordon’s StreetJustice newsletter: He’s offering a 20% discount to THIH readers. See more information below. –Maria Helena Carey
Prince Georges: 166 Pedestrian Deaths this Decade
Expanding on Route1Reporter’s existing data for pedestrian deaths, Street Justice reports that 166 pedestrians were killed in 163 crashes on Prince George’s County roads since January 2010. Those crashes, mapped out and available for download for Street Justice premium subscribers. The data are clear: pedestrians in Prince George’s County are least safe on the larger roads which, because of PG’s car-oriented land use, is where most retail and commercial activity happens. Large strip malls, the vicinity of grocery stores and public transit stops — this is where pedestrians have died in Prince George’s County since 2010. [Full Story]
Changes Coming to Quincy St. in Arlington
Tuesday night, Arlington County presented its plans to re-do the design of N Quincy Street from Fairfax Drive south to the I-66 bridge. South of Washington Blvd, Arlington County’s proposed Quincy design is protected bike lanes at curbside with buffer area. Once you go North of Washington Blvd, the Quincy design preserves residential parking on the East side and event parking on the West side, maintaining the current unprotected bike lanes. [Full Story]
Bikeshare Coming to Fields at RFK & Kingman Island?
On Wednesday morning, DDOT staff who administer Capital Bikeshare held a walkthrough for ANC 7D and stakeholders regarding installation of new stations. As we’ve reported, ANC 7D’s transportation committee has been active in pushing the broader committee to support several new CaBi stations. It looks like CaBi stations could come to the Oklahoma Ave frontage of Fields at RFK and to the intersection of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail with the Kingman Island bridge, at the eastern end of the parking lot at The Fields. [Full Story]
Safety Around Brookland-CUA Metrorail
In my DC Line column today, I ask DDOT to add several safety improvements to the 600 and 700 blocks of Monroe Street NE. I go on to recommend several specific changes to improve safety for all road users:
- Blockade no-parking zones with flexposts
- Protect the bike lanes near each intersection
- Create several spaces for pick-up/drop-off of UberLyft’s, where mail, package, and commercial vendor deliveries can also take place. This takes 6-8 metered parking spaces.
- Add turn hardening at several of the sides of each intersection of Monroe with Michigan Ave NE, plus 7th, and 8th Streets NE
DDOT Ward 8 Road Safety Open House on Sat, July 27th
DDOT is hosting a Ward 8 Open House on Saturday, July 27th from Noon to 2 PM. The agency hasn’t announced it via official channels, but they passed out this flyer two weeks ago at meetings of ANC 8A and 8E. The handout reads “come learn about current and future safety improvement projects in Ward 8.” My reporting suggests but hasn’t confirmed that DDOT has halted *all* road safety projects in Ward 8 because of the negative feedback they’ve received regarding parking removal and bike lane additions. DDOT has many road safety improvements for which plans are completed, and the agency began issuing Notices of Intent to complete the work this summer now that contractors are hired, funding is there, and the weather is right. However, because many of the plans have sat on shelves for 1-3 years, leaders like ANCs have forgotten about them. [Full Story]
This is a daily newsletter produced by Gordon Chaffin, a journalist in Washington DC. I cover transportation & urban planning in DC, MD, & VA to explain what’s happening in the street and why. Reports delivered every weekday afternoon for paid subscribers and Sunday mornings for free subscribers. Sign up for free. Please support my local journalism with $5/mo or $50/yr. The Hill is Home readers can subscribe to Street Justice for a 20% discount.