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Street Smart Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Campaign

In a regional show of force, elected officials and law enforcement leaders from northern Virginia, suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia launched the 2009 Street Smart pedestrian safety campaign at the bustling intersection of 14th & U Streets, NW on March 25th. New to the campaign this year is a heightened
focus on cyclist safety, complementing the overall education and enforcement effort. 

The Street Smart effort, in concert with other safety measures, is showing strong indications of making the region’s streets safer.  The District of Columbia, the region’s most pedestrian/cycling-centric jurisdiction, experienced a 54 percent drop in pedestrian- and bicycle-related fatalities in 2008 from the prior year (2008:  14 pedestrians and one cyclist; 2007:  25 pedestrians and three cyclists.  Pedestrians and cyclists typically account for one-fifth of the District’s traffic fatalities.

“Proactive education of the public and active enforcement of safety laws is why we saw fatalities head in the right direction last year,” commented Pat Burke, assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.  “By getting more drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to literally look out for each other, we can turn last year’s success in the District into a long-term, region-wide trend.”

In concert with Street Smart, a wide range of jurisdiction-specific pedestrian safety innovations are being spearheaded to save lives and prevent injuries.  Among the highlights: 

• Montgomery County debuted “WalkSafe!,” a free video educating non-native English speakers.  Surveys of “English as a Second Language” students before and after watching the video showed 76 percent reported they now cross the street more carefully.  The surveys also showed a 45 percent increase in students who say they always obey walk signals. 
• The City of Alexandria installed an innovative traffic signal called the HAWK pedestrian beacon on a busy intersection (Van Dorn Street at Maris Avenue).  Triggered by pedestrians waiting to cross, the system uses high-intensity flashing lights to alert motorists of their presence.  
• Arlington County‘s “Lights for Bikes” effort distributed free bike lights on trails at the end of daylight savings time.
• The City of Rockville has installed pedestrian countdown signals at all signalized traffic intersections in the City.

Sponsored by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), the Street Smart public awareness and enforcement campaign is in its seventh year.  Aimed at reducing the number of pedestrian injuries and deaths in the Washington metropolitan area, the campaign uses creative radio advertising in English and Spanish to reach drivers, while targeting pedestrians through outdoor and transit advertising on bus shelters and bus sides. In addition, law enforcement and local, county and state agencies distribute handouts and tip cards to further spread awareness and educate drivers and pedestrians.
The Street Smart pedestrian safety effort focuses on the "three E's:" education, enforcement and evaluation.

• Education targets pedestrians and drivers, and uses recurring waves of radio, bus advertising, internet ads, hand-outs and posters to get the message out. Advertising conveys simple messages such as "Stop for Pedestrians" and "Cross Streets Carefully", and while media events help publicize enforcement.   A strong focus of the campaign is to reach the area's Hispanic residents through Spanish-language brochures and advertising outreach. 
• Enforcement provides an incentive for residents to heed the campaign messages, and a focus for media attention.
• Evaluation is vital to understanding the awareness level for the message and the future direction of the campaign.

The Street Smart campaign was created by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee of the Transportation Planning Board in 2002. The District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority provide major funding, with contributions from Arlington County, Fairfax County, Montgomery County, the City of Alexandria, the City of Gaithersburg, and the City of College Park.

Program Contact

Mike Farrell - (202) 962-3760