by Kenny Boddye, Occoquan District Supervisor

In one of their most recent press releases, the Prince William County Police Department sounded the alarm on a sharp increase in pedestrian-related crashes throughout the county. According to the data collected by our Transportation and Police Departments, these incidents are a lot more likely in the heavily-populated segments of our community.

Hoping to prevent such tragedies, I requested a Traffic Safety Work Session in 2022, bringing together county and state-level transportation and public safety professionals to brief the board on the “Three E’s” of traffic safety: Education, Enforcement, and Engineering, ensuring we take a holistic view to this complex issue with overlapping causes, with human behavior as a leading factor.

I’m also an advocate for making traffic safety central to efforts to relieve congestion. I supported the County’s application for a $992,000 Federal “Safe Streets and Roads for All” Grant, which we won, and will use to develop a comprehensive “Towards Zero Death” action plan for rural and suburban areas and a Vision Zero plan for the Cities, Towns and other urbanized areas of the County.

My advocacy has led to the County’s new Automated Traffic Enforcement Program, which pilots red light cameras at 8 high-crash intersections, speed cameras at 8 school zones, and 1 speed camera at a highway work zone. I believe this program will save lives. I remain steadfast in support for policy reforms and projects that make our County safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Filling gaps in our pedestrian and bike network is a standing priority, such as my efforts to bring pedestrian access from Tanyard Hill Road to the Town of Occoquan by incorporating it into the Occoquan Greenway. These efforts continue to move forward alongside my individual advocacy in encouraging compact, walkable communities. When developers bring projects to my staff and I, they know we will be asking about pedestrian connectivity and safety. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues, county staff, and the development community to reorient our county to be a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike.