To the editor:

As someone who was struck by a car in Old Town, twice – one block apart, I know pedestrian safety matters. The first time I got off with just five broken bones in my right foot but the second left me with a broken femur and arm leading to two surgeries and over five weeks in the hospital. At least I am able to tell my story.

It’s easy to talk about safety for all road users. It’s quite another thing to see someone who has volunteered a decade of their time and talents to make it a reality. As a member of the Traffic and Parking Board, Jim Lewis has consistently put pedestrian safety front and center. He’s led on sidewalk maintenance and new sidewalk construction. His fingerprints are all over intersections in the city that are now safer because of his work.

When I first met Jim he was campaigning for City Council. I told him about my experience and concern that enough was not being done to control traffic. To my amazement, he remembered and two years later he emailed me to let me know that an intersection near me was being studied for pedestrian safety and offered me the chance to participate!

He has even taken to these pages standing shoulder to shoulder with Alexandria Families for Safe Streets in encouraging people to be safer drivers. He consistently puts his money where his mouth is. Moreover, he does the hard work to understand why a stop sign should go one side of an intersection versus the other.

If you care about pedestrian safety, I strongly encourage you to join me in voting for James Lewis for City Council because he will be the champion for pedestrian safety we desperately need!

-Shannon Collins,

Alexandria