From Maggie Barron. You can reach her at maggie[at]borderstan.com and follow her on Twitter @maggiebarron.
Despite DC’s high marks in pedestrian and bike safety, there are still some intersections where we should tread cautiously. In a new performance review, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) identified 24 of “the most dangerous intersections for pedestrian crashes over the past 3 years.” Two of those are in the Borderstan area, and another 11 are directly surrounding us — any guesses as to where they are?
The intersection at 12th and Massachusetts is one of the most dangerous in the area. (M. Rhoades)
If you picked 14th and U Streets NW, you’re on the money. The other one to be aware of is at 12th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW. This isn’t surprising for anyone who has tried to cross there as aggressive northbound vehicles turn left onto Massachusetts.
In terms of other nearby hotspots, 14th Street NW in Columbia Heights made the list three times at Columbia Road, Irving Street and Park Road. And those walking along K Street should be extra-alert, as the intersections of K and 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th Streets NW all made the list.
TBD has a full list of the 24 intersections. And a DCist reader plotted most of the intersections (though not all) on a handy Google map.
In a hearing last Friday before the City Council, Neha Bhatt, chair of the Pedestrian Advisory Council, testified that over 10% of DC residents walk to work. According to data in the DDOT performance review, since 2005 the number of crashes involving pedestrians has ranged from 567 to 782 per year, with a much smaller number of incidents (14 to 25) resulting in fatalities. (Hat tip to TBD’s John Hendel for covering the hearing, which was apparently poorly attended by DC council members).
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