Street Report Card
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District of Columbia Transportation Equity and Accessibility Report Card Data Requirements
The glaring disparities that exist within our transportation system highlight the urgent need to set and work towards pointedly inclusive goals and targets. These targets will serve as much-needed markers of progress, casting light on efforts aimed at restructuring our city into a space that is accessible to all.
Report Card Metrics
Percent of Intersections with Accessible Pedestrian Signals
Percent of Intersections that Comply with DC Safety Laws Regulating Sightlines
Percent of Centerline Miles of DC’s High Injury Network With Design Speed ≤ 20mph
Percent of Intersections that Do Not Permit Vehicle Left Turn Conflicts with Pedestrians
Percent of Emergency Evacuation Route Centerline Miles With a 24/7 Bus Lane
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Metric #1:
Percent of Intersections with Accessible Pedestrian Signals
Accessible Pedestrian Signals4 are devices that communicate information about pedestrian signal timing in non-visual formats such as audible tones, speech messages, and/or vibrating surfaces.Accessible pedestrian signals are crucial to the independent movement of individuals who are blind or have low vision throughout public rights-of-way. These signals should be ubiquitous throughout the District, allowing people who are blind or have low vision to undertake independent pedestrian travel to any destination where pedestrian facilities exist. advance in equity for persons who are blind or have low vision, as the use of accessible pedestrian signals is one of the accessibility features of public rights-of-way that has not been uniformly adopted across the District.
Metric #2:
Percent of Intersections that Comply with DC Safety Laws Regulating Sightlines
distances of intersections and crosswalks. These statutes are in place to protect the safety of all pedestrians, but they are especially important for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, there are rampant violations of sightlines statues, both because parking signs are illegally placed by DDOT in prohibited places, and there is no physical barrier preventing cars from parking in illegal places.
Metric #3:
Percent of Centerline Miles of DC’s High Injury Network With Design Speed ≤ 20mph
People with disabilities are often much more susceptible to being killed or injured by high-speed vehicles due to several factors. Ensuing collisions can occur due to the substantially less response time afforded by the speed of the vehicle, which can prove particularly challenging for those whose disabilities affect their mobility or cognitive function. Additionally, visual impairments can make it difficult to notice fast-approaching vehicles in time. Assessing the speed of an oncoming vehicle may also be complicated for individuals with cognitive, sensory, or neurological disabilities. Limited mobility can restrict the speed and agility required to swiftly evade a vehicle’s path. Additionally, cars are getting bigger, which means people riding wheelchairs are less likely to be seen; requiring a lower design speed will ensure that there is more time for drivers to stop.
Metric #4:
Percent of Intersections that Do Not Permit Vehicle Left Turn Conflicts with Pedestrians
Permissive left turns occur when oncoming traffic has a green light simultaneously, which requires high cognitive load and precise judgment – a deadly cocktail for all road users. By eliminating such deadly turning movements, streets become more predictable and safer, accommodating diverse mobility and perceptual needs. Banning permissive left turns serves as a crucial safety measure for protecting our disabled population. This is particularly important for visually impaired individuals who depend heavily on auditory cues for prescriptive navigation. By allowing vehicles to turn left at their discretion, we heighten the already-risks involved in crossing streets by introducing unpredictable vehicular movement into their auditory landscape.
Metric #5:
Percent of Emergency Evacuation Route Centerline Miles With a 24/7 Bus Lane
The absence of dedicated 24/7 bus-only lanes (or entire roads) heightens the insecurity faced
by people with disabilities in emergency scenarios. Given the disproportionate reliance of this
demographic on public transit due to financial constraints or physical restrictions excluding other modes of transportation, emergencies present an astronomically elevated risk. This problem is accentuated when taken into the context of immediate evacuation situations, where public transportation might be their only viable option. Limited resources prevent them from accessing instantaneous, personal means of evacuation, like taxis or ride-shares, potentially leaving them stranded amid an emergency. This disparity uncovers a glaring equity issue within our transport infrastructure. It’s a vivid display of how the vulnerable are left more exposed. As such, the development and continuous upkeep of dedicated bus lanes transcends logistical considerations.
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