Police target pedestrian safety
Police officers were out on Little River Turnpike in Annandale Wednesday evening distributing fliers to residents and motorists in an effort to increase pedestrian safety. Another team of officers will do the same along Leesburg Pike on Friday, Nov. 21. The goal is to target pedestrians not using crosswalks and raise awareness among drivers to the dangers of people crossing roadways when it’s dark.
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| A police officer talks to a pedestrian on Little River Turnpike in Annandale. |
This campaign is part of a new pedestrian education initiative launched by the Fairfax County Police Department on Oct. 31. Since then, two pedestrians have been struck in the Annandale area – a 62-year-old man was killed crossing Columbia Pike Nov. 12, and a 36-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a car on Braddock Road Nov. 6 – and a moped driver was run over and killed on Wilson Boulevard in Seven Corners on Oct. 31. All those accidents happened at night.
Earlier this fall, a 61-year-old woman was killed crossing Leesburg Pike near Row Street on the night of Oct. 16, and two Glasgow Middle School students suffered minor injuries when struck by a car on their way to the bus stop on Oct. 24. Last April, a Virginia State Trooper struck a pedestrian in Annandale.
Some idiot may thing this abbreviation may stand for pedophiles. Really Fairfax you couldn't spell out the the word "pedestrians?"
What time of day were these accidents?
The accident on Braddock happened before 7:30 p.m. I drove by the scene at 7:30 and the victim was still on the side of the road.
I'm sorry, but until there are crosswalks at EVERY intersection, they can't require this. In our area of Annandale, crosswalks are about half to three-quarters of a mile apart. Little River has very few, too. And a crosswalk does not give a pedestrian any protection, since most drivers care not at all. Add crosswalks with those flashing lights a pedestrian can use to alert drivers and then we can talk.
Can't agree more with the comment above about the lack of crosswalks. Look at the Rose Lane / Columbia Pike intersection. With a bus shelter on the south side of the road, many Broyhill Crest residents cross Columbia Pike there to access the 16/26A bus systems. But no crosswalk means we risk our safety crossing, especially with limited daylight hours in the winter.
And the enforcement presupposes that the pedestrian is in the wrong, when the drivers on our roads are also at fault. Speeding, running lights, etc.
If we're going to think that Annandale is a walkable community, then look for the real problems and not these small surface issues that are merely reactions.
I know overhead/underground walkways are prohibitively expensive, but we should demand sidewalks, street lights (maybe program all-way stops for busy pedestrian intersections) and crosswalks from developers/redevelopers before the area gets more congested.
I also think all bikes should come with headlights and taillights, and that pedestrians wearing dark colors need to be aware that they are hard to see at night.