Crossing the street? Risky business in Md. county

WASHINGTON - Crossing the street is something you probably do every day. But in one part of the D.C. region, something as routine as getting to the other side of the road is turning into a death-defying stunt.

Records from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's Street Smart Campaign show that from 2007 to 2008, pedestrian and bicycle fatalities increased dramatically in Prince George's County. Deaths of those kind decreased everywhere else in the area during the same time period.

In 2007, there were 29 pedestrian and bicycle deaths in Prince George's County. In 2008, that number jumped up to 41.

But why?

County Councilmember Tony Knotts tells WTOP travel patterns are changing in the county.

"Let's look at our Route 210 corridor for example. We are talking about from the District line, going all the way to Waldorf. That particular corridor is not a country road anymore, it is a multiple lane highway. There are serious safeguards that must be undertaken by any citizen that walks across that particular highway," says Knotts.

Pedestrian experts say the issue may go further than that.

"Often times, these issues are cultural," says Erwin Mack, Executive Director of the Langley Park-Takoma Park Crossroads Development Authority.

Mack has been studying pedestrian issues for decades.

"Folks from other cultures, who are new to the area don't always read traffic signs and they don't always know what to do with traffic signals," says Mack. "But at the same time, drivers don't always do the speed limit and don't always stop at crosswalks."

Pedestrian related deaths have also been a serious issue in Fairfax County, where there is a large immigrant population. However, according to the data from the Street Smart campaign, pedestrian deaths decreased by 14 in Fairfax County between 2007 (18) and 2008 (4). That is the largest decrease of any local jurisdiction during that time frame.

A look at the number of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in the region:

Source: MWCOG Street Smart Campaign

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