(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Police issued a traffic ticket every six minutes, on average, during an enforcement effort in front of Nottingham Elementary on Thursday afternoon.
The several block stretch of Little Falls Road near the school, in the Williamsburg neighborhood, has seen three fatal pedestrian crashes since 2014, including an elderly woman who was struck and killed by the driver of an SUV in October. That driver is not facing criminal charges.
Arlington County police conducted yesterday’s high-visibility enforcement as part of its Street Smart road safety campaign.
“During yesterday’s hour-long StreetSmart activation in the 5900 block of Little Falls Road, which coincided with school dismissal, officers issued 8 speeding citations and 2 citations for stop sign violations,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Drivers are reminded to slow down, be mindful of pedestrians and obey posted speed limits which change during school zone times and are indicated by flashing yellow lights.”
As part of the @COGStreetSmart campaign, officers conducted high-visibility traffic enforcement in the 5900 block of Little Falls Rd. The campaign aims to identify & change unsafe behavior patterns with the goal of reducing traffic related collisions and injuries on our roadways. pic.twitter.com/MEgOYDDST8
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) December 1, 2022
“Officers will continue to conduct periodic random, rotating enforcement in the area with the goal of compliance even when police are not present,” Savage noted. “Additionally, as part of our education efforts, police have deployed a variable message board on Little Falls Road with transportation safety messaging.”
Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services added that safety improvements are in the works for the intersection where October’s crash happened.
“In response to the recent tragic crash fatality at the intersection of Little Falls Rd and John Marshall Dr, the Vision Zero Critical Crash team has developed short-term safety improvements and enhancements for this intersection,” the department said in a brief statement. “We plan to install these improvements by the end of the year, weather permitting.”
More on the fall Street Smart campaign in Arlington, below, via an ACPD video.