WASHINGTON — It appears D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to make a substantial investment in improving traffic safety in the District in the next year.
Bowser unveiled her budget for Fiscal Year 2022 Thursday. In the fiscal plan, allots $351 million dollars for streetscapes, trails, and Vision Zero.
The Vision Zero initiative is D.C.'s plan to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by the year 2024.
Last year, the DC Council passed a massive amended Vision Zero bill to address safety on D.C. streets. It included provisions for building more sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and improving traffic enforcement.
However, that bill has not been fully funded ever since it was passed.
Many pedestrians and cyclists have called on D.C. leaders to fully fund Vision Zero in order to make streets more safe.
As of May 27, there have been 17 traffic fatalities in D.C., according to the District Department of Transportation [DDOT]. That number is more than D.C. experienced at the same point in 2020, 2019, and 2018.
Cyclist and Petworth ANC Commissioner Zach Israel said he likes the financial amount proposed by the Mayor to address traffic safety, but he adds he needs to learn more about all of the items funded in her proposal.
Israel said D.C. needs to aggressively address local traffic safety issues.
"Our city just needs to take more decisive action and really make it an urgent priority," he said.
The Mayor's budget proposal comes two weeks after she and DDOT announced D.C. would invest $10 million toward Vision Zero improvements this summer.
"We are very troubled by the significant increase in fatalities that we've experienced on our roadways in 2021, and we know that too many of the deaths on our roads are due to drivers recklessly speeding through our streets," Bowser said.
She said DDOT would reallocate $5 million to installing driver feedback signs that alert drivers when they drive to fast and rectangular rapid flashing beacons to enhance visibility for pedestrians crossing streets. Additional enforcement cameras are expected to be set up around the District too.
Last summer, former DC Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey DeWitt said it would take $171 million dollars to fund Vision Zero over a four-period. However, some DC Councilmembers have argued that number is inflated.
Currently, it is unclear just how much of the $351 million Bowser has proposed putting toward Vision Zero investments versus trails and streetscapes.
Councilmember Charles Allen threw his support behind the inclusion.
“I’m glad to see Vision Zero elevated in the Mayor’s budget presentation," Councilmember Allen said. "I’m looking forward to digging into the budget over the next month. When we pass a final budget, the Vision Zero bill from the Council needs to be fully funded if we want to make safer and more accessible streets for all."
Either way, the total could change in the future. The DC Council will hold multiple hearings and votes on the proposed budget later this year.