By Robert Oliver, resident in North Michigan Park
A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) is being installed at 8th Street and South Dakota Avenue NE. A partial installation began over the weekend, and it will be completed next weekend, October 8, 2022.
A traffic light was requested more than four years ago to ensure the safety of a visually-impaired resident. This individual regularly takes the bus to shop for necessities. Over the years, crossing South Dakota Avenue has become more dangerous as drivers have often cursed this individual as he crossed the street.
What began four years ago as a simple request quickly bogged down. This saga began with 311 Service Request 18-00271668 issued on May 28, 2018. A follow-up request, 20-00296711, was issued on August 26, 2020. Relief for the blind pedestrian was sought in both service requests.
Over the following months, DDOT was pursued to address the installation of a RRFB. DDOT responded on March 11, 2021, citing its study that the volume of pedestrian usage and crash data did not justify RRFB installation. However, DDOT did install pedestrian pylons. Also, pedestrian signs had been installed at 8th and South Dakota, including north and south of the interserction. Lastly, advance warning signs also had been installed.
At this point, an enterprising neighbor had had enough. Despite working with DDOT, the local ANC, and the North Michigan Park Civic Association, little had been accomplished. So, this neighbor collected one hundred signatures in support of a traffic signal for the blind resident. He even shot several videos in which first-hand accounts of how dangerous South Dakota Avenue had become was discussed. Click here to see one.
After this campaign and a fatal accident just a few blocks away on South Dakota Avenue and Ingraham Street NE, we now have the RRFB.
I am glad that DDOT has approved the RRFB installation, but is should not take four years to address an obvious problem – that cameras alone cannot manage speeding along South Dakota Avenue. More needs to be done.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 
Thank you for this, Robert! This is a step in the right direction, but is not nearly sufficient. We need significant changes to traffic safety along South Dakota, starting with meaningful changes to physical infrastructure, like installing concrete medians, narrowing or reducing the number of travel lanes, adding things like protected bike lanes, rumble strips before intersections and crosswalks, and where possible, raised intersections and crosswalks. All of these have been proven time and time again to both reduce the number of vehicular crashes and more importantly reduce the severity of them, leading to less loss of life for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, and making streets like South Dakota Ave safer for both all road users, regardless of what mode of travel they choose, and residents who live along the street.
And you are absolutely right, it should not take four years for a resident to get changes made to an unsafe intersection. I am running for ANC in 5A09 in very large part to get meaningful traffic safety changes to our neighborhood’s streets — South Dakota Avenue in particular. You can see where I’ve already filed requests for DDOT to conduct Traffic Safety Investigations around 5A09 on my website here: https://zachforanc5a09.com/traffic-safety-investigations/
It is still completely weird to me that this is supposed to be the resolution for someone with a visual impairment–flashing lights. This whole thing makes me nervous.
I agree that it is weird, but the RRFB alerts the drivers that someone wants to cross. I prefer a traffic light with an audible signal. That way, crossing the street is totally passive and requires no action (pushing a button) from the individual who is crossing. Only time will tell if this is the right choice.
I have seen the resident cross the street before and it is just him waving his cane in the air while cars just keep speeding by. Nervous is an understatement.
Finally! This is long overdue. Thank you for all of your hard work. It definitely takes a village to get things accomplished.
There is no real way an RRFB will help a person who is blind to cross the street here. There is no guarantee for anyone that drivers will stop. Not only does one driver need to stop, four lanes need to stop.
It’s very disappointing that DDOT considers this acceptable at this location.
It will not work.
I ride the 80 bus every morning and often get on with the blind resident. I appreciate the added lights, because crossing South Dakota always feels like your life is in danger.
That being said, obviously the dangerous drivers don’t pay attention to the lights. You still have to wait until there are red lights at Gallatin and Delafield before crossing if you actually want to be safe. I have only returned at the same time as the blind resident once but I can’t guess how he would know if they are both red.
The unprotected crosswalks near the new library are also scary. Thank goodness for the new pedestrian light they added at Ingraham.
I would love for them to put some speeding cameras on South Dakota. I see drivers going 80+ mph very often. It’s no surprise someone was killed last February.