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That's a bit of hyperbole. Motorists are forced every day to deal with road closures, detours, obstructions, traffic from construction, etc. I don't own a car and even I know that.

Reality is that these projects you mentioned are all progressive, mixed-use sites that will ultimately provide huge benefit for pedestrians and other non-motorists in ways this city hasn't seen in many decades. Better enforcement would be optimal, but in most cases, pedestrians are giving up relatively little (an extra few seconds or minutes to their journey) in order to get a lot in return. And the city has to strike that balance of responsible enforcement and accomodation versus overburdening private businesses.

Re: photos. They can be pretty easily deconstructed.

On Bladensburg Rd, did the photographer stop and ask these people why they were walking in a median? Who's to say these people would not normally walk on medians regardless of whether construction is present? And why could they not simply walk an extra 25 feet to the other side of the street?

On 14th street NW, the woman is walking through former parking converted to a no-parking tow zone (an inconvenience to motorists, which the author conveniently ommitted) which is very unlikely to be a path for motorists. She is also buffered from the traffic on 14th street by the bike lane. At a glance, the risk to her personal safety seems very minor...and she doesn't appear too concerned, what with her iPod earbuds still in as she walks into the road. I wasn't there to ask her whether she felt safe... But the photographer was.

by Scoot on Apr 12, 2012 12:57 pm • link • report