Guest post by David Kosub

Dear Neighbors,

Thank you to all who participated in Wednesday’s Community Brainstorming session (in person or via email) to address pedestrian safety crossing South Dakota Avenue NE at Ingraham Street and Jefferson Street. Please find below the results from that meeting with specific actions we can take as a community to address this issue. Please share widely. These steps will also be shared with MPD and Cafritz Foundation representatives.

South Dakota Pedestrian Safety Community Brainstorming Session

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Lamond-Riggs Library

Purpose: To hear from community members about concerns crossing South Dakota Ave at Ingraham St NE and Jefferson St NE intersections, as well as to identify possible solutions to increase pedestrian safety.

Attendees: ~10 Community members, DDOT (Wesley Dawson), MPD, Cafritz Foundation, and Mayor’s Office (Julia Irving). Councilmember McDuffie’s Office and ANC Commissioners were invited but did not attend. .

General Concerns from the Community

• The Ingraham and Jefferson Streets NE intersections are a public health and safety issue, with community members reporting near-accidents from speeding cars not willing or able to stop (perhaps due to visibility issues). The community should not fear crossing the street, especially while going to the metro.
• Vehicular traffic (including MPD patrol cars) regularly fail to stop for pedestrians at either intersection. Concerns about 8th and 10th St. NE intersections were raised as well.
• There is a lack of adequate (or any) signage on South Dakota NE for pedestrian crossings.
• It is unclear why the most appropriate path to the Fort Totten metro station at South Dakota and Ingraham Streets NE is not signalized already as part of the original plan to create a new through-way to the metro when Hamilton St NE, which previously served as a direct route to the metro station, was permanently closed by the Art Place at Fort Totten project.
• 311 operators have misinterpreted pedestrian safety concerns related to aggressive driving when attempting to cross these intersections as 911 issues
• Community members report being anxious that the issue will go unaddressed and become worse due to inaction from DDOT and Mayor’s Office (clear failure in achieving Vision Zero goals to avoid pedestrian injuries and fatalities) and with new construction projects scheduled.

Recommendations from Community Members (received during session and via email)

Actions to Take Immediately

• Regularly and frequently submit 311 requests to improve pedestrian safety.
• Request speed cameras per guidance on the MPD website. (Request link (updated 12/17/2018) – or contact MPD 4D community liaison)
• Encourage MPD patrol cars to make audible noises and immediately stop traffic when pedestrians are seen waiting in intersections
• Contact elected officials (Councilmember McDuffie’s Office, ANC commissioners Frank Wilds and Gordon Fletcher, Mayor Bowser, and Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services) demanding this issue be addressed ASAP.
• Request DDOT share all publicly available information on initial HAWK traffic/pedestrian study.
• Contact local media to raise public awareness.
• Request DDOT to place driver speed feedback signs on South Dakota Ave.
• Request wider, perhaps artistic crosswalks similar to crosswalks at Georgia and New Hampshire NW or on Kennedy Street NW, so that these crosswalks are even more noticeable to drivers (added 12/17/2018)

 Actions Beginning in February 2019

• Request MPD increase the number of cars patrolling intersections.
• DDOT install static signage (including Pedestrian Crossing, Yield, Radar announcements, etc.) for pedestrian crossings with red flashing lights.
  • Note: DDOT representative indicated that signs were ordered and will look into expediting installation (within 30-45 days of order). DDOT will determine if infrastructure exists to operate flashing lights.
• DDOT will begin new study for HAWK Beacon signal (see section below).

 Actions over Next Year

• DDOT should either move signalized intersection from Hamilton St NE to Ingraham St NE or put new signal at Ingraham.
• DDOT should improve lighting on entire South Dakota NE Corridor from Riggs Road NE to Galloway St NE, particularly at intersections so that drivers can see pedestrians waiting to use crosswalks.
• DDOT should investigate the timing of signalization lights along South Dakota NE and at Kennedy St NE (apply lessons learned from the street light modernization project). The green cycle is very long, the yellow light seems long, and both of those could be encouraging drivers to speed down South Dakota and not stop for pedestrians at Ingraham.

 Actions that Cannot be Implemented

• CM McDuffie Constituent Services Director Kelley Cislo forwarded a recommendation from MPD to have crossing guards at Ingraham St. NE intersection during morning and afternoon rush – Mr. Dawson said Traffic Control Officers (i.e. crossing guards) are only stationed near schools.
• Install physical impediments (e.g. raised crosswalks) to slow vehicles on South Dakota – DDOT indicated “upward deflections” are not allowed on major arterials.

Considerations from Other Stakeholders

District Department of Transportation (DDOT)

• Acknowledges community concerns and takes pedestrian safety seriously.
• Reminds community that South Dakota NE is a major roadway (i.e. arterial road) in and out of the city. DC does not permit traffic calming measures on arterial roads.
• HAWK (High-Intensity Activated crosswalk) Beacon Signal Study
  • Previous DDOT study counted only 20 pedestrians crossing South Dakota NE at Ingraham St NE (i.e. it did not meet threshold for HAWK installation).
  • Unclear how rigorous the study protocol was to make an informed decision from data acquired. When conducted in January 2018, the Modern Apartments were not yet fully open, commercial retail not in place, high-visibility (zebra) striping at roadway was not yet completed, and the lighting was minimal.
  • DDOT will study both Ingraham and Jefferson intersections, but will likely prioritize Ingraham; DDOT will follow up on timeline
• DDOT can install flex posts in roadway (but they are regularly knocked down by cars).

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)

• Reiterated that only two or three officers are available for traffic issues in 4^th District.
• Shares community complaints to officers.
• Cannot have officers dedicated to specific streets 24/7 (lack of resources) and recognize that pedestrian safety/vehicular traffic are commonly cited concerns across the city.

Cafritz Foundation – Art Place Phase 1 and 2 projects

• Favors safer pedestrian crossings at these intersections and supportive of solutions, specifically supporting the idea of speed cameras.
• Indicated original development plan did not include a signalized intersection at the new Ingraham St. NE intersection (rather a signal was required at the parking garage entrance at Hamilton St.) and recognizes that it would aid pedestrian access to commercial retail space and metro.
• Installed bump-outs on sidewalks to slow vehicles approaching intersection at Ingraham.
• Will share their internal traffic studies with DDOT to help hasten traffic study process.
• Considering additional parallel parking in projects to help calm traffic (though cars still speed by parallel parked vehicles).

Selected Actions Taken to Date

• November 15, 2017: Resident Uchenna Evans submitted a traffic safety investigation request through 311 requesting a traffic or HAWK signal at Ingraham
• December 4, 2017: Evans submitted a 2-page traffic safety investigation form to Ty’on Jones, DDOT, for a traffic safety investigation of South Dakota and Ingraham. Mr. Jones provided the form to Evans to fill out, stating that residents cannot request a hawk signal, they can only request a traffic safety investigation. On December 6, 2017, DDOT closed the 311 request submitted on November 15, with a closing note that “DDOT Traffic Signal Engineers will have the intersection evaluated to determine the need for a traffic signal and other safety measures.”
• January 11, 2018: Evans, in her capacity as LRCA President, wrote DDOT Director Marootian about issues related to increasing pedestrian safety at these intersections noting the 311 requests and the traffic safety investigation form that had been previously submitted and specifically requesting a hawk signal at Ingraham if DDOT determined a traffic signal was not feasible (available upon request).
• February 6, 2018: DDOT responded that it was completing the traffic study.
• March 9, 2018: Community walk with then DDOT Ward 5 liaison Ty’on Jones, then Ward 5 CM McDuffie Constituent Services Coordinator Wesley Dawson, then Ward 5 MOCR Lionell Gaines, and ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) to observe pedestrian concerns along the South Dakota Avenue and Fort Totten metro corridor. Mr. Jones stated that the traffic study was nearly complete, that DDOT would install a HAWK signal within six months, that DDOT would evaluate if traffic signal at Hamilton should be moved, and that DDOT would evaluate whether a traffic signal was needed at Ingraham.
• March 10, 2018: Evans spoke with Director Marootian at Ward 4 ANC/Civic Association Summit about need for hawk light at Ingraham. Director Marootian stated DDOT was waiting for developer to finish doing utility work at South Dakota Ave and Ingraham
• July 28, 2018: Evans spoke with Director Marootian at Metropolitan Branch Trail groundbreaking about need for hawk light at Ingraham. Director Marootian again stated DDOT was waiting for developer to finish doing utility work at South Dakota Ave and Ingraham
• September 12, 2018: Evans followed up with new DDOT Ward 5 liaison Wesley Dawson about outstanding DDOT items, including Ingraham hawk light. Mr. Dawson did not respond.
• October 18, 2018: Evans again asked Mr. Dawson for status reports on all outstanding DDOT concerns, including the Ingraham intersection
• October 2018: High-visibility road striping finally completed on Jefferson St NE following many 311 requests and contacts with city agencies by community members.
• November 9, 2018: Mr. Dawson responded with status reports, and the report for Ingraham stated there was no update – that DDOT was waiting for the developer to finish doing utility work at the intersection
• November 19, 2018: Evans reached out to developer to find out if they were doing utility work that was preventing DDOT from installing hawk light. Developer responded it had long finished any utility work for the first phase of the development project and that any utility work it planned to do for the second phase was years away. Evans conveyed this information to Mr. Dawson
• December 3, 2018: Mr. Dawson stated at LRCA meeting that DDOT conducted a traffic study, which showed low usage of crosswalk at Ingraham. Therefore, DDOT will do another study in 2019
• 2017/2018: General submissions to 311, DDOT, Ward 5 CM office, Ward 5 MOCR, and MPD about pedestrian safety and unlawful speeding and not following pedestrian crossing laws.