Fairfax County Most Dangerous for Pedestrians

By Connect Mason Asst. News Director Rashad Mulla

Fairfax County is the most dangerous county in the DC area, according to the DC-based Coalition for Smarter Growth.

According to their April study, “Washington Area’s Mean Streets,” Fairfax County averaged 15 pedestrian deaths a year between 2004 and 2006, up from an average of 12 per year between 2003 and 2005.

The county had a “Pedestrian Danger Index” of 44.1, the highest in the DC area. The PDI is measured by comparing pedestrian deaths to the number of people walking in a certain community.

Chris Wells, Fairfax County’s Pedestrian Program Manager, said this high number is alarming.

“It is a serious problem and a priority of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors,” Wells wrote in an e-mail Friday. “Improvements are needed in areas of driver behavior, pedestrian behavior and infrastructure.”

The study identified Route 1, Route 7 and Route 50 as high danger areas. The Virginia Department of Transportation is currently constructing a $6 million pedestrian bridge and fencing on Route 50 at Seven Corners, in the hopes of making sure pedestrians do not have to cross high-speed roads.

Cheryl Cort, one of the study’s authors, said the Fairfax County government and the VDOT’s work is just beginning. “While Fairfax has made an effort to [improve pedestrian safety], a lot more needs to be done,” Cort said.

Fairfax, Cort said, is quickly changing from a suburban to an urban setting. Government officials need to rethink and redesign methods for pedestrian safety, especially as driving becomes less of a priority in Fairfax, she said.

“We need to design our roads and communities to accommodate walking, bicycling and driving,” Cort said.

The study, she added, is a “bit of a mandate” for the VDOT and the county government to get things going.

According to VDOT Public Affairs Coordinator Mike Salmon, construction to improve pedestrian safety is already well under way.

VDOT tried lowering the speed limit on Route 1, but county officials objected, saying they weren’t notified previously, Salmon said. These plans are on hold as VDOT deals with Fairfax supervisors, he said.

VDOT is also trying to install countdown walkways throughout the entire county by September, Salmon said.

“VDOT’s not all about building roads,” Salmon said. “We’re moving people.”

• Click here to view VDOT’s walking and bicycling programs and tips.

Here are the complete rankings of the jurisdictions studied in the report, from most to least dangerous, followed by their PDIs:

• Fairfax County, Va. – 44.1
• Prince George’s County, Md. – 42.6
• Prince William County, Va. – 33.1
• Montgomery County, Md. – 24.4
• Loudoun County, Va. – 20.6
• District of Columbia – 10.0
• Arlington County, Va. – 9.6
• Alexandria City, Va. – 7.8

More than 75 pedestrians die per year in the region.

The Coalition made recommendations April 21 to improve pedestrian safety, including:

• Design lower speed roads where pedestrians are present.
• Create pedestrian crossing islands.
• Provide continuous sidewalks on both sides of all arterial roads.
• Limit and consolidate driveways off major roadways.
• Build pedestrian and bicycle friendly secondary streets.