Six Dead on District Roads in

Six Dead on District Roads in Six Weeks

Seven Have Died Since DC Auditor Announced Review of Vision Zero Program

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Six people died on District roads in the 18 days between Oct. 9 and Oct. 26, according to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) reports. The dead include two pedestrians, two drivers and the operators of two motorbikes.

The District Department of

Transportation (DDOT) launched the Vision Zero program in 2015 to reduce traffic deaths to zero by 2024.

Since 2015, the number of deaths on

District roads has increased, except for a dip in 2019. So far in 2021, 35 people have died, a 9% increase over this time last year. In 2020, 37 people died, the highest number of traffic deaths in 14 years.

The deaths include seven since

Sept. 23, when the DC Auditor announced a 10-month review of Vision Zero. The audit seeks to determine if the program has been implemented equitably throughout the District. It will include interviews with staff members and stakeholders as well as a review of laws, policies and procedures, budget and expenditure reports and program data.

“Our audits and evaluations provide valuable insight regarding whether an agency’s business practices are efficient, its policies and procedures are effective, its internal controls need to be improved, and its programs are delivering the intended results,” wrote DC Auditor Kathy

Patterson in the engagement letter.

DDOT’s Efforts

DDOT has made efforts to improve traffic safety. It has reduced speed limits on local streets to 20 mph and focused on intersections with high crash levels. It expects that the installation of protected bicycle lanes throughout the city will reduce traffic and lower speeds.

Acting DDOT Director Everett Lott welcomed the review. “DDOT has a robust set of safety programs in place to achieve Mayor Bowser’s Vision Zero goals, and we look forward to working with the DC Auditor to help increase the public’s understanding of those efforts,” he said in an email.

On Oct. 12, DDOT announced a plan to accelerate roadway improvements, such as streamlining internal procedures to complete projects quickly and accelerating the process of installing roadway improvements to protect pedestrians, including curb bump-outs, speed bumps and stop signs. At a press conference two weeks later, Mayor Bowser announced that the program had led to installation of 91 speed humps, 16 stop signs and four right turn hardening devices since the Fall Safety Blitz was introduced.

Speaking at that event, Ward 3 Councilmember and DC Council Transportation Committee Chair Mary M. Cheh (D) said the District needed to do more to make streets safer, citing a need for the expeditious resolution of community requests and proactive action. But she said Vision Zero could not be achieved unless the District also combined enforcement and education. “We definitely need enforcement,” Cheh said. “We can have wonderful crosswalks, but if the cars are not following the rules and stopping for pedestrians, that doesn’t help very much.”

Chart showing traffic deaths in DC, 2001-20. Image: MPD.

Two Pedestrians Killed

Even as DDOT was implementing its program, people continued to die on District streets. On Saturday, Oct. 9, 35-year-old Elizabeth Burdette, of Cowansville, Pa., was killed on the 1200 block of New York Ave. NE. A westbound vehicle stuck her and then fled the scene. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DC FEMS) transported her to an area hospital, but Burdette died on Wednesday, Oct. 20. Police are still searching for the driver.

Eight days later, on Sunday, Oct. 17, a man was killed on the 3900 block of Benning Road NE. He was trying to cross the street at 10:07 p.m. when an eastbound 2011 Ford Focus struck him. The driver remained on the scene. DC FEMS responded, but life-saving efforts failed, and 73-year-old Gary Minor, of Northeast DC, was pronounced dead.

Three Motorbike Riders Killed

Five days after the audit of Vision Zero was announced, a 39-year-old on a motorbike was killed when he collided with a Volkswagen traveling in the opposite direction at the intersection of Bowen Road and Ridge Road SE. Police cited the speed of the motorbike as a factor in the crash.

Two drivers, one of a motorbike and the other driving a dirt bike, died on Southern Ave. SE when they struck other vehicles. Officers cited the speed of the motorbikes as a factor. At around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, the driver of a Yamaha dirt bike was speeding northbound on the 4700 block of Southern Avenue SE. As the driver of a Chevrolet Equinox going southbound tried to turn onto Boones Hill Road, the Yamaha struck the passenger side door. The impact threw the Yamaha driver from the bike. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment, but 21-year-old Shaun Robinson Jr. succumbed to his injuries the following Monday.

A week later, at 12:09 p.m., on Monday, Oct. 25, the driver of a Suzuki motorcycle was going northeast on the 800 block of Southern Avenue. Officers said the motorcycle was speeding when it hit a Metro Transit bus that was turning onto Southview Drive. The impact threw 30-year-old Southeast resident Ronnie Lyons from the Suzuki, and he died at an area hospital.

Two Drivers

Speed also contributed to the deaths of two drivers who died after losing vehicular control. At 2:17 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 23, the driver of a Kia Optima was speeding down the northbound lane of the 600 block of South Capitol St. SE. When the driver lost control, the car mounted the curb and struck a light pole. The impact threw the driver from the vehicle. DC Fire and DC FEMS transported 38-year-old Jamal Braddy, of Temple Hills, Md., to an area hospital, where he died.

A little less than 14 hours later, at 3:58 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 24, a Toyota Camry was speeding southbound on the E Street Expressway. After passing under the tunnel, police said, the vehicle went out of control. It struck a metal guard railing and then a light pole and rolled over. DC FEMS pronounced 24-year-old Saket Kanade of Herndon, Virginia, dead at the scene.

Anyone with knowledge of the above incidents should call the MPD at 202-7279099 or text the Department’s Text Tip Line at 50411.

Tools Exist

Tools exist to accelerate roadway safety improvements. The DC Council unanimously passed the Vision Zero Omnibus Act in 2019, which requires roadway improvements under certain conditions, creates stronger enforcement of existing speeding, parking and tra c laws and requires DDOT to update its transportation plan once every two years. That legislation is currently unfunded.

On Sept. 28, Councilmembers Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), chairs of the committees on Judiciary and Public Safety and Transportation respectively, wrote Acting Director Lott, asking DDOT to use its resources to implement parts of the legislation. They stated that the agency could have implemented many of the policies regardless of funding.

“To put it another way,” they wrote, “you could be ‒ indeed, you and your predecessors could have been for years ‒ doing nearly everything in the Vision Zero legislation, and in so doing, you might have prevented the death of a 5-year-old girl, a 90-year-old woman, or any of the others on our road.” ◆

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