Arlington Police To Participate In Street Smart Enforcement Campaign

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Police Department is planning a high-visibility traffic enforcement campaign over the next month to educate drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians on traffic laws.

The initiative, which is part of the D.C. area’s Spring Street Smart campaign, aims to reduce the number of traffic-related crashes and injuries on Arlington’s roadways by identifying and changing unsafe behavior patterns among travelers.

The campaign will run through May 14, with the goal of helping “to ensure all travelers can reach their destinations in a safe and timely manner.”

Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in the D.C. area increased 37 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, accounting for more than 36 percent of total traffic deaths, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

As part of the Street Smart campaign, Arlington police officers will be conducting “high-visibility enforcement” activities, including two such actions on Wednesday.

Police officers will be on Langston Boulevard between N. Lynn Street and Fort Myer Drive between 11 a.m. and noon on Wednesday. Officers will be conducting the other high-visibility activity in the 2900 block of S. Glebe Road on Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

On May 2, Arlington police will be on N. Pershing Drive at N. Thomas Street from 11 a.m. to noon and in the 5200 block of Columbia Pike from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Whether traveling on foot, by bicycle, or in a car, the public should share the streets by being a PAL, or predictable, alert and lawful, the police department said.

Drivers should drive the speed limit and obey all posted traffic signs and signals, stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, be careful when passing buses or stopped vehicles, yield to people walking and biking when turning, look for bicyclists before opening their doors, and avoid using their cell phones while driving.

Pedestrians should cross a street at a corner and use marked crosswalks when they’re available, use the pushbuttons and wait for the walk signal to cross the street, and watch for turning vehicles.

Bicyclists should obey all posted traffic signs and signals, ride in the same direction as traffic, and communicate their intentions by using hand signals.