Man Walking Dogs on the Virginia Capital Trail. Photo by Angela Hollowell.

Pedestrian safety is a pressing concern throughout the Commonwealth. Localities across the Commonwealth are seeing alarming numbers of pedestrian injuries and fatalities due in large part to inadequate protection from moving vehicles. Funding and infrastructure improvements can improve outcomes and make our streets safer. Improving safety for people who would walk or bike yet are hesitant to face such dangerous conditions, especially in communities with disproportionate rates of traffic fatalities and serious injuries, would increase active travel and reduce carbon emissions.

Richmond has some of the riskiest drivers in the country. High vehicle speeds and the absence of visible crosswalks increase the risk of pedestrians being endangered. Reducing car speeds by narrowing roads are proven ways to enhance safety. Other ways to protect pedestrians include redesigning streets for safety and building and maintaining more multi-use trails and facilities. Active maintenance of existing sidewalks and roads helps ensure they remain safe and encourages more pedestrian use. 

The Virginia Department of Safety’s Neighborhood Traffic Program works with communities to reduce traffic impacts and enhance neighborhood safety. However, before traffic calming is applied to dangerous roads, VDOT requires 50.1% of the residents to approve the designs. Eliminating this barrier would enable professionals to make decisions more effectively and save lives.

There has been a sudden increase in injuries and fatalities for victims appropriately using infrastructure. At no fault of their own, multiple pedestrians have been killed while walking or crossing the street. Bill Martin, long-time Director of the Valentine Museum, died after being struck by a vehicle in front of Richmond City Hall. He was attempting to cross the street with the walk signal on. Recently, a 26-year-old woman was hit by a driver and killed in Richmond’s Southside neighborhood. Within the same week, a 62-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a car in the Blackwell neighborhood. After both incidents, community members demanded safety changes. The majority of advocates and city officials believe most recent deaths are preventable. Poor infrastructure, speeding, and risky driving behavior put pedestrians at risk on a daily basis. 

Following multiple pedestrian deaths, Mayor Danny Avula announced new actions to improve street safety efforts in Richmond. Based on Vision Zero, a new Department of Transportation will be created, and the safety camera program will be expanded. The City of Richmond will establish a Pedestrian Safety Task Force in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University to address safety concerns around City Hall and the VCU Health campus. These steps, outlined by Mayor Avula, will help improve street design and encourage community-led initiatives. 

Infrastructure that slows cars down and raises visibility of pedestrians improves street safety, while promoting behavior change.

Community-led engagement is key. You can support increased pedestrian safety by attending community meetings, organizing your neighbors, participating in walk audits, and supporting organizations that are creating change and educating residents about pedestrian safety. For example, the City of Charlottesville created a  Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee to improve pedestrian facility design and safety. You have the power to shape the conversation. We encourage you to get involved and make your voice heard.

The National Safety Council defines a Near Miss as an unplanned event that does not result in injury or death, but could have. PlanRVA created a shareable online space for the public to submit close call events and road hazards to a database for analysis and mapping display. You can register “near miss” traffic-related incidents at Near Miss Survey, and you can find an interactive dashboard created by ArcGIS at Near Miss Dashboard. Reporting near-miss incidents is important to improve safety infrastructure, such as the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks, or stoplights. Reporting also helps identify environmental factors, like obstructions, confusing road design, or poor visibility due to the weather.

Most near-miss incidents are reported in Northern Virginia, but the system operates statewide.  Crowdsourced data is used in advocacy efforts with policymakers, both locally and with state-elected officials. For more information on how to get involved, contact Mike Doyle with Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets at mike@novafss.org.

The Bike Walk RVA Academy is designed to develop Richmond region residents into grassroots leaders in their communities. Participants build the confidence and skills to advocate for better infrastructure for walking, biking, and rolling. The Bike Walk Academy is open for applications and runs from Feb 11 to March 18, and it will have a pedestrian safety focus. Apply to join the academy here.

The Sixth Annual Active Mobility Summit will take place on March 5 – 6 at the Wool Factory in Charlottesville. It is a forum for leaders and advocates from the Charlottesville / Albemarle area to collaborate for better connectivity and access to the outdoors.