To the editor:

Pedestrian safety is very important to me. More than two years ago, my dad was crossing Duke Street when he was hit by a careless driver. He was in a coma for weeks and had to re-learn how to walk and to eat, and is still working on speaking and moving. This has been devastating for our family and never should have happened.

Governor Northam has said, “Nearly every crash is preventable and it’s important that we focus on altering the behaviors that threaten the safety of the citizens who use our roads every day.”

Some simple ways to increase pedestrian safety are to reduce speeds, reduce distracted driving and design streets and intersections to maximize safety rather than prioritizing cars and trucks.

With Amazon’s new headquarters coming to Crystal City and Virginia Tech’s new Innovation Campus in Alexandria, there will be new challenges and opportunities. With all the changes that will come, pedestrian safety should be the top priority for any traffic decisions to be made.

-Peter Brown, Alexandria