Back in the day I used to bike to school 50 miles in the snow - uphill both ways. Back then more than half of all kids biked or walked to school. Today it's down to 15%. DDOT received a five-year, $5 million federal award to increase the safety of District students who walk and bike to school.
The Safe Routes to School funds will be used to build new sidewalks and curb ramps, improve and add crosswalks, install traffic-calming measures, increase safety education and enhance police enforcement. In addition, DDOT will conduct an intensive pilot program to promote safer walking and cycling at schools in each ward.
I'm not sure how much this will help non-students (studies show you're safer on the street than on a sidewalk) but the traffic calming and improved curb ramps will probably come in handy.
What I think is interesting about this campaign is that pedestrians and cyclists are asked to obey the law, but motorists aren't. Safe motorist behaviors listed include "stopping for, or yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk" -- but DC law is specific that a stop is required, yielding is not sufficient. In fact, last year's DDOT PR campaign was that the law required stopping at crosswalks -- I guess that campaign fizzled, if the guys running this year's campaign don't remember it.
It would have been nice for them to note that bicycles are considered pedestrians when they're using crosswalks and cars have to stop for them as well.
Posted by: Contrarian | November 12, 2005 at 11:38 PM