Cars are suppose to stop at crosswalks and let people cross the street in DC right?

We live in a great Washington DC neighborhood. One of the best things about this area is the many schools in walking distance. There is only one challenge--family's need to cross very busy intersections each day to walk their children to school and even though there are clearly marked crosswalks CARS DO NOT STOP putting children and parents at risk each and every day.

Here is a map of one of the problem intersections at Reservoir and 36th in NW (note the 2 schools Duke Ellington and Washington International as well as the neighborhood just on the other side of this intersection). Many children and parents cross here every morning and afternoon risking their lives getting across the street.



Here is a little video to show you the experience each day:

So why did I call this blog "DC the Small Things..."? I first thought that DC has many bigger issues to solve than a simple little crosswalk in my neighborhood--but then I remembered something I read about the great John Wooden (former UCLA basketball coach) who would teach his players how to put on their socks... Why?-- to demonstrate the importance of doing the right things the right way all the time. For Wooden knew that championships aren't built by doing the big things. Everyone does that. It's those willing to do the small things better than everyone else who put themselves in the best position to come out on top, inning after inning, game after game, year after year. Well...THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP CITIES IN THE WORLD SO I WANT US TO DO THE SMALL THINGS WELL...

So why does my 9 year old son have to stand at the crosswalk and wait for 5 cars, a city bus and many cabs to go by before he can step out onto the street to get to school? Let's review the possible reasons:

1. The police are not all over ticketing offenders -- This could be a new revenue stream
2. The city is not educating visitors. We could possibly add additional messages to those "Don't use your cell phone and drive" signs everyone sees as they cross over the Key Bridge.
3. The city is not educating the cab drivers, bus drivers and other city employees that they have to stop for pedestrians...
4. The fines are not high enough (come on $50...)
5. Citizens are not educating themselves. So let's first understand the LAW...

50-2201.58 (dc code)
Write as a PD-61-D
Failure to yield right of way to pedestrian at signalized intersection
A pedestrian who has begun crossing on the walk signal shall be given the right-of-way by the driver of any vehicle to continue to the opposite sidewalk or safety island, whichever is nearest.
Fine=$50

50-2201.28(a)
Write as a PD-61-D
Failure to yield right of way to pedestrian at un-signalized crosswalk
The driver of a vehicle shall STOP and give right of way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
Fine=$50

2013.7(c)
Failure to yield right of way to vehicle or pedestrian while turning right on red
A vehicle facing a steady red signal may cautiously enter the intersection to turn right after stopping. The vehicle shall yield right-of-way to pedestrians within an adjacent crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection.
Fine=$50

2221.5
Passing a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian
Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at an unmarked crosswalk at any intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle.
Fine=$50

You can get details on these laws and much more at the following site: http://www.mwcog.org .

So, What is the Call to Action?

I would like to see DC step up and really address any crosswalk issues on a road that touches the boundary of a school and invest in systems much like
1. The beacons installed in a few locations last year. More here...
2. The High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) they did in Juneau in 2009. More here...

Without these systems we are going to see more and more people killed each year in the city much like the chilling report posted at the following site: http://dc.thecityfix.com. To follow all the chilling reports of pedestrians being hurt in DC you can see a major summary here...

If you agree please contact you councilman--for a list see http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us

I contacted my councilman Jack Evans in Ward 2 last year at this office via his email JackEvans@dccouncil.washington.dc.us
and he had the sign installed in the middle of the road. Great start but as you can see in the video it doesn't do much. But I do appreciate Jack and his team and their willingness to listen. I was impressed that he personally responded to my mail. Time to hit him up again to see if we can get a real solution like one of those mentioned above...

Please post your video experiences as comments below...