Arlington to implement new pedestrian safety law
ARLINGTON, Va. - One community in northern Virginia is working to continue improving pedestrian safety.
Arlington County’s Board will start a process to more clearly align the county with a new Virginia law.
Nationwide, the number of pedestrian deaths rose 77% over the last decade, according to a report released last month by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association.
Arlington’s number of pedestrian fatalities remains low relative to its population, according to county data.
The county is working quickly to bring the roads it maintains, in line with a new Virginia law regarding crosswalks.
Pedestrian deaths up 77% over the last decade, study says
According to the latest report from the Governor's Highway Safety Association, there has been a 77% rise in pedestrian deaths in the U.S. over the past decade.
The law, which took effect July 1, essentially requires drivers to stop for pedestrians who are in a crosswalk. Previously, there was some perceived ambiguity about yielding to pedestrians versus stopping for them.
"I have noticed, around yield signs, people are given a lot more autonomy, and in that case, sometimes they don’t stop, they just go ahead, so for the most part, people are pretty considerate of pedestrians," said Yashas Pradeep, an Arlington resident.
"There’s no question as to discretion whether someone stopped or not. I think with the yield, sometimes there’s a gray area," said Christine Baker, Arlington County’s Vision Zero coordinator.
When a pedestrian is crossing a street, drivers on both sides have to stop.
Once a pedestrian crosses a lane of travel, the lane it crossed can continue if the pedestrian is in the crosswalk, but traffic on the other side must wait for the pedestrian to finish clearing.
Arlington County is unique in that it’s a larger population center that maintains many of its own roads. As such, Fox 5 is told there’s a push to pass a local version of this law to bring it in line with what the General Assembly passed.
If a driver is pulled over for not stopping completely, they could get a ticket ranging from $100 to $500.
In a statement to FOX 5, Arlington County police say they’ll have a public education period for this change, and begin enforcement later on.
Arlington County’s Board will take a vote Saturday to open this change up for a hearing, and they’re likely to vote on it in September, Baker says.