Safety Improvements Made at Deadly Intersection in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Safety improvements were made Wednesday to Mt. Vernon Avenue and W. Glebe Road, the scene of a fatal pedestrian crash Dec. 1 that claimed the life of an area woman.

The changes were made by the City of Alexandria Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES). The Alexandria Police Department directed traffic for about five hours while the safety changes were made.

Rosemarie Cruz, 49, of Alexandria, was hit by a car at the intersection as she was walking home. The driver, a 77-year old woman, remained on the scene and Cruz was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Cruz, a mother of four children, died from her injuries a few days later.

New traffic signs and pedestrian safety improvements have been made. Changes include no turns on red from Glebe and new turn arrows. Another change: Leading Pedestrian Intervals on all crosswalks.

A Leading Pedestrian Interval typically gives pedestrians a 3–7 second head start when entering an intersection with a corresponding green signal in the same direction of travel, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials. LPIs enhance the visibility of pedestrians in the intersection and reinforce their right-of-way over turning vehicles, especially in locations with a history of conflict.

At its regular meeting on Jan. 24, Alexandria City Council unanimously adopted the “Vision Zero” international traffic safety concept with the goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2028.

As a Vision Zero community, Alexandria recognizes that these incidents are preventable through proper engineering, enforcement, evaluation and education, the City noted. “By adopting Vision Zero, we will learn and apply best practices from other communities as we strive to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in Alexandria,” said Mayor Allison Silberberg. “The loss of even one life or the injury of even one person is unacceptable.”

In 2016, there were four pedestrian deaths in Alexandria, an increase from one death in 2015, none in 2014, and two in 2013. There were over 35,000 traffic deaths in the United States in 2015, up 7.2 percent from 2014 after a decade-long decline.

Watch a video here of City employees at work Wednesday at the Mt. Vernon Avenue and W. Glebe Road intersection, posted on the T&ES Facebook page:

PHOTO courtesy of City of Alexandria