Road safety is very important to me. More than 15 years ago, I was nearly killed by a drunk driver.
Today, I did something I have never done before. I testified before the DC Council. The topic was DC’s Vision Zero initiative. If you have a few moments, you can hear my testimony at 3:58 of this video.
It was very powerful to be in the hearing room. With a few exceptions, everyone was in agreement: in order to make our city safer, we have to stop prioritizing cars over all other forms of transportation. In recent years, DC has become more dangerous. This is unacceptable.
One of my top priorities is to create a Vision Zero working group within 1B to identify dangerous areas and support DDOT in finding solutions. I’m already working on building connections with similar efforts around the city.
But these efforts will be hindered unless our city changes its transportation paradigm. We can’t fight tooth and nail for every small change. Instead, we have to have a framework that puts pedestrians — the most vulnerable users — first. If the safety benefits weren’t enough, there’s evidence from around the globe that these policies have significant positive impacts on sustainability, economic development and culture.
There are so many who have been working on these issues for years. These issues are on the agenda in DC because of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, the Coalition for Smarter Growth, among other great organizations. My own reading, personal and professional experiences are the foundation for my beliefs — but these groups have led the way on advocacy in DC, and they have sharpened my thinking on important policy issues. If you don’t know about them yet, it’s well worth your time to find out more.
There will be much more to come on this topic.