Is it high time we revved up the Street Smart Campaign?

Let's be honest -- with ourselves, with the family of Martha Schoenborn and with the public. Okay?

An annual "one-month burst" of advertising and flyering about driving, walking and biking safely in the metro DC region does not result in social change. If you don't agree, I recommend this book to you: Waiting for Godot. "Samuel Beckett's classic tragicomedy is known for its lack of plot -- Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful!"

If you do agree, I'm asking you to share your opinion about a proposal I have ...

At 12:30 p.m. today, the funeral for Martha Schoenborn was held in Georgetown. As you may know, last Wednesday evening the Federal Trade Commission employee and her co-worker Sally Dean McGhee were tragically killed when a Metrobus hit them while they were walking with the green light in a crosswalk at Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street NW...

Angel Waters of Congress Heights was killed by a Metrobus last Saturday night. On January 5th, Elizabeth North of Arlington was killed by a car in a mall parking garage -- in broad daylight.

In many towns and counties in the metro DC area, "Pedestrian fatalities outnumber homicides." I read that eye-opener in the 2006 Street Smart Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Public Awareness Campaign Annual Report & Campaign Summary, published by our region's Transportation Planning Board (TPB).

Since 2002, the TPB has conducted four annual 30-day-long public education campaigns aimed at "saving lives and reducing injuries by changing the behavior of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists."

30 days in a whole year. Do you think it's time to rev up the Street Smart campaign?

As chairman of the TPB's Citizens Advisory Committee in 2004 and 2005, I participated in some meeting discussions about the campaign. What TPB member Chris Zimmerman, an Arlington County legislator, said about the initiative at the TPB's January 18, 2006 meeting a year ago was as startling for its candor as it was obvious for its plain truthfulness. I'm asking you to take what he said to the next level. From the meeting minutes:

He said this campaign is a very good effort, and by its nature this is something that should be done on a regional level. But he said that public information campaigns require a certain level of resources or they are not worth the money that is spent. He said he did not think enough money had ever been put into this campaign to maximize its effectiveness. He said he was concerned that the amount of funding put into the campaign this year has actually gone down since the original campaign.

Zimmerman also took both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties to task for consistently failing to invest money in the regional safety campaign. Kudos to our region's outspoken advocate for the little guy: this year Montgomery County is stepping up to the money plate (funding chart hasn't been updated yet).

With Prince George's having either the highest or nearly the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities in the metro DC area -- and with it being home to Charlie Deegan, the feisty new chairman of Metro's Board of Directors -- I think the county has good reasons to correct this unfortunate (and repeated) oversight. Maybe they don't realize that advertising on bus sides was eliminated last year (see p. 3) because of lack of funds. Prince George's doesn't participate much at TPB meetings.

I salute Mr. Zimmerman for having the intestinal fortitude to go beyond a more typical assessment of the program which can go something like this: "We are encouraged by the progress we are making. Look at this data. Clearly, we are making an impact. We wish we had more money to expand the program, and we are working toward that next year."

With all due respect to anyone who's eager to feel good about the Street Smart campaigns, it's high time to stop Waiting for Godot and to rev up the campaign to a level that's respectable. If you think four weeks is respectable, I think you're kidding yourself -- and doing a disservice to our region.

Isn't it high time we heeded Mr. Zimmerman's words about Street Smart to "maximize its effectiveness?"

What we need is resolve by our leaders -- and some help from the grassroots so our leaders find their resolve -- to bring together the people with the energy and the resources to design and support a sustained, robust Street Smart campaign. 

Today, I am asking you to call for a regionwide Street Smart Summit of leaders and foot-soldiers from government, nonprofit organizations, community groups and businesses including the media. Here's my vision for such a summit aimed at expanding the Street Smart campaign to a level that can really produce sustainable social change:

• Secure ample financial resources from private and public sectors
• Formulate a comprehensive plan for strong public participation by law enforcement
• Engage elected & appointed officials on improving design of streets, sidewalks, intersections
• Commit to credibly judging Street Smart's effectiveness through an emphasis on tracking discernible changes in behavior and incident rate -- and by surveying pedestrians; not by over-hyping the public's mere awareness of the campaign, nor by limiting the survey just to motorists

Perhaps a key participant could be the Academy for Educational Development, a DC-based nonprofit respected for expertise in social change campaigns. And perhaps such a regionwide summit could be held at the Federal Trade Commission, where Martha Schoenborn and Sally Dean McGhee worked.

Let these funeral services -- and those held for our other neighbors -- in honor of lives that have ended so tragically inspire us to bring alive a coordinated, well-funded, sustained and muscular campaign promoting our getting from Point A to Point B safely. We do this ... we will truly demonstrate our valuing of human lives.

Who would convene such a summit? Perhaps Mayor Adrian Fenty with his forward-thinking City Administrator, Dan Tangherlini, along with the District Department of Transportation's highly-respected Pedestrian Coordinator, George Branyan, might be interested in taking the lead in partnership with neighboring jurisdictions.

A regionwide summit to give life to the political will to rev up the Street Smart campaign. What say you? Do you think it's high time? Or do you think 30 days in a year results in social change? (Psst, TPB: two 2-week periods is really just tinkering around the edges.)

_______________________________________________________________
Dennis Jaffe is a community activist in Washington, DC promoting solutions that help people get from Point A to Point B safely and efficiently.

Comments

[washcycle]

I'm going to go with Richard on this one. Unless there is a specific behavior you have in mind to change - "Share the Road" is sort of ineffective. Once the causes of pedestrian death are determined, you need to specifically focus your campaign to change at least one specific behavior. Even if all that is is getting pedestrians to wear reflective clothing or something.

[Steve]

The stated goal - QUOTE "This safety campaign aims eventually to reduce deaths by 10 percent." END QUOTE

Woo-hoo!! Only 80 deaths this year!! Way to go!!!

What an inspiration this goal is. (I especially like the "eventually" part.)

[Tina]

Great ideas Dennis. I would just add that as a part of the Summit, we need to emphasize MANDITORY participation from key officials from DOT, DC gov, WMATA, NPS, any and all bureaucratic institutions that are part of the decision making process when it comes to DC land, streets, transportation, commuter issues, etc. There has to be come accountability and the bureaucrats need to work together to solve the problems instead of fighting amongst themselves for funding and/or recognition. If we make a proposal about what needs to be changed, I want to be able to hear instant feedback from the person who would be responsible for making that change happen. The summit should be set-up to facilitate DIRECT interaction between the decision makers and the citizens. I don't want to list my grievances and advocate change to someone who will take his/her notes back to the boss, I want to speak DIRECTLY to the boss.

[Anise Jenkins]

Thank you Dennis, for staying committed to the crucial issue of transportation safety, particularly pedestrian education and protection. As a DC bus commuter since riding the bus across town to my high school, I definitely have seen changes, not so positive, in the treatment we give to each other that must of necessity affect driving and walking habits in DC. Growing up, DC was a small, southern, "slow" town - leisurely pace - pedestrians had the right of way - not necessarily by law, but just as an accepted way of living. The city is "growing" up - getting more urban, more "northern" and a lot less friendly on almost all levels. Pedestrians need protection and drivers need to be reminded that they are handling a potentially deadly weapon.

Thanks, Dennis for your work.

[Chris Carney]

Dennis Jaffe is right. It's high time that our local officials make pedestrian safety a legitimate priority, not just a soundbite they support. It can start with more robust campaigns like Jaffe calls for, and should be paired with immediate action by communities to reexamine how they prioritize transportation spending. All of our communities could be doing more to design and build safer streets and intersections for all of us, whether we're walking, biking, riding the bus, or behind the wheel.

[Robert]

Mr. Jaffe's ideas are well-thought out. DC needs to focus on pedestrian and commuter safety with a bright and relentless spotlight before more people are needlessly killed.

[Richard Layman]

These programs tend to not be very well focused. What is the negative behavior. How can it be changed? How do you communicate messages to achieve the behavior change?

"Street smart" is like saying "don't litter."

That message doesn't resonate with people who are litterers.

Instead, Texas' "Don't Mess with Texas" anti-litter program focuses on where litter happens, why, and who, and develops focused behavior change campaigns.

Phil Mendelson's proposal to increase street speeds on DC roads is exactly the wrong direction.