Since 2015, traffic fatalities have gone up each year, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The 36 fatalities last year was the most since 2008 with 39.聽In 2019, there have been 25 fatalities through Dec. 10.

The Vision Zero Initiative goal is intended to draw down the number of serious injuries and fatalities in D.C. by 2024 using more effective use of data, education, enforcement and engineering.聽聽聽

According to the D.C. Zero Vision data, although serious injuries were lowered for nearly all modes of transportation, fatalities increased for all modes of transportation in 2017.聽聽

Mayor Muriel Bowser started the Vision Zero DC Action Plan with 30 district agencies aiming for zero traffic-related deaths in the city by 2024. At the time, she said her administration intended to change transportation safety culture for the long term.聽

The overall end goal is that there will be zero fatalities and serious injuries to travelers of the transportation system in Washington D.C. by the year 2024. The plan is to make these fatalities and injuries nonexistent through the use of data, and the three E鈥檚 of education, enforcement and engineering.聽聽

The data aspect of it will analyze and set up interventions that have the greatest potential to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities. The engineering will identify specific locations throughout the District that require new safe street designs and interventions. The Education and enforcement will protect the most vulnerable travelers.聽聽

One of those changes was making Linda Bailey Director of the Vision Zero Office in March 2018.聽

In a DDOT press release, Bailey said, 鈥淚鈥檓 proud to have the opportunity to serve the residents of the District of Columbia and broaden the mission of Vision Zero. I am grateful to Mayor Bowser and Director Marootian for their confidence in me, and I am committed to promoting safety, and the kind of innovation that builds on DDOT鈥檚 position as a leader among the nation鈥檚 transportation agencies.鈥�

Bailey brings much experience to the District and will oversee a team of engineering, policy, and community outreach staff. Bailey was the former Executive Director National Association of City Transportation Officials where she developed transportation policies.聽 She also worked for the New York City Department of Transportation where she helped with their Vision Zero Program. During her time there, traffic deaths have declined for five consecutive years, according to city data. Since 2005, fatalities have decreased by 34%.聽聽

Since Bailey joined as Director, an expanded sidewalk maintenance effort has filled 123 gaps in sidewalks 鈥� triple the original goal of 40. And, a paving plan, aiming to eliminate all poor-quality roads in the District by 2024, has seen 16 streets completed in the last two weeks.

Computer technician Ralph Williams says uneven streets and sidewalks are a bigger problem than people think.

鈥淚 used to be at the dealership every other week because of the bad roads out here,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 also broke my ankle on a sidewalk in the city because I was on my phone and didn鈥檛 see an uneven sidewalk. Stepped in a hole and next thing you know, I鈥檓 in the hospital.鈥�

In order to ensure safety, the District Department of Transportation has installed more signage, marking modifications and automated crosswalks at more than 20 intersections since the project began in 2015.聽

One of those improvements include The High Intensity Activated Crosswalks, or HAWK signals, which stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross in a safer environment on marked lanes.聽

As of 2018, D.C. had a total of 17 HAWK signals, more than any other city on the East Coast, according to the Vision Zero Data.

In 2017, the District became more bike-friendly with the installation of 16 bike stations to the Capital Bikeshare fleet.聽聽

Brandon Hines rides his bicycle to work every day through Dupont Circle and enjoys the stations and safety of the streets.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to finally have more stations around the city,鈥� Hines said. 鈥淚 also noticed that there has been more traffic lights, signals and more signs to direct and control traffic in a better way. Hopefully these things will help cut down the traffic deaths in D.C.鈥�

DDOT did not respond to multiple requests to comment.

The next steps for the Vision Zero initiative is to put more signage, traffic signals, HAWK signals and pave more sidewalks to make the District a safer place for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The post How DC plans to eliminate transportation fatalities by 2024 and why it鈥檚 not working first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The nonprofit organization was founded in order to promote the Dupont Circle neighborhood public space management, strategic marketing and economic development initiatives.

The Dupont Circle BID, a self-taxing district established by property owners to enhance the economic vitality of a specific commercial area, according to dc.gov, covers approximately 11 blocks, including P Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue and Connecticut Avenue from the circle to California Street NW. The BID is one of 11 BIDs in the District.

Dupont Circle BID Marketing and Events Associate Kayla Brown said the work is 鈥済oing great鈥� and that a lot has happened over the past year.

Since debuting last November, Dupont Circle BID has helped open up six businesses and have plans to expand two additional businesses. It has put together various events including a volunteer park clean up with local businesses, an art-all-night showcase, a German band performance in the circle and an event called Holiday Hop-Around.

Darlington House is one of the businesses within the BID boundaries. Manager Patricia Beggiato has noticed the difference the BID is making around her place of business.

鈥淸The Dupont Circle} BID is doing a good job of helping keep the area clean and secure,鈥� Beggiato said. 鈥淭hey are doing well with trying to get people to come back to Dupont Circle with their visibility. They also plan really nice events alongside the The Historic Dupont Main Streets.鈥�

One of the services Dupont Circle BID has initiated is their clean team through a partnership with another nonprofit, The Historic Dupont Main Streets. Through this alliance, the BID cleans and sustains the sidewalks and curbs for residents, visitors and tourists seven days a week. Known as The Welcome Team, they clean the streets through power washing, operating basic maintenance needs, emptying trash bins and removing gum and getting rid of litter and graffiti.

Bill Mcleod, executive director of The Historic Dupont Main Streets, said it has been really good partnering up with BID.聽 McLeod said that they have partnered up on 20 popups in Dupont this year.

鈥淭hey sponsored our 鈥楢ll Art Night鈥� and we had about 26,000 people visit 26 different locations,鈥� McLeod said. 鈥淭hey even putting up Christmas lights this year, which is big because Dupont has never had Christmas lights on the street lights before.鈥�

The Dupont Circle BID has also teamed up with the DDOT to build the . DDOT invested $25 million for this project in order to assemble a multi-modal streetscape along Connecticut Avenue, from Dupont Circle to California Street NW. The project aims to attract more people to the neighborhood through a whole new look for the corridor, including new light poles, tree boxes and benches and new sustainable stormwater management features.

The improved streetscape aspect will include improved pedestrian, bicycle, transit and vehicle travel by fixing up curbs, gutters, sidewalks and pedestrian ramps. There will also be intersection improvements to increase safety for all users of the road, which could include new street lights, traffic signals and crosswalks.

Veterinarian Brandon Wilson, who travels to Dupont Circle weekly, is excited to see what changes this project will bring.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to see how amazing this area will look after this is all said and done. With the money the city is putting into this, the wait should be worth it.鈥�

The project is expected to break ground in 2021.

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The sidewalk at 1913 Massachusetts Ave. used to have a row of street trees, offering shade in hot summer months and protection during the rain. The street address belonged to Stewart鈥檚 Castle, the home of Nevada Republican Sen. William Morris Stewart back in the late 1800s.

Now over a 100 years later, a PNC Bank stands in the same spot but the trees no longer exist. An all-volunteer organization, Restore Mass Ave, is trying to return this patch of sidewalk to its former glory through the Dupont Tree Plaza Project.

The project also seeks to add seven large, healthy trees in front of the PNC Bank, adding to the current five trees on either side. They also want to add new lighting to help people move around the area and see better at night.

by RMA President and founder Deborah Shapley at an Advisory Neighborhood Commission2B meeting, planting these trees will help prevent floods, unpleasant or harmful exhaust from cars and buses as well as help the problem of polluted watersheds.

Funding for the project comes from a $30,000 grant RMA won from the Chesapeake Bay Trust G3 program in March 2018.

鈥淭he Chesapeake Bay Trust came to the rescue with a lot of experience in this regard,鈥� Shapley said. 鈥淩estore Mass Ave is delighted and grateful that the Chesapeake Bay Trust design grant has enabled us to move this thing as far as we have.鈥�

The grant will cover engineering designs for the tree plaza. RMA is currently looking for more funding, as the project could cost up to half a million dollars.

Shapley said she would like construction to be complete by as early as next year.

The process, she said, is a lengthy one. The water pipes, electrical lines, gas lines and storm drains underground all need repair work done to them.

Multiple agencies are working on the final plan, which currently stands at 20 pages of engineer and design drawings and is about 90% percent complete, according to Shapley. After this, RMA can move forward with the next steps.

Shapley added this will be a green infrastructure project because contractors will use soil, which filters and cleans the water. Instead of a mechanical system, natural elements are used to do the work. The redeveloped plaza would also be able to handle heavier rain.

The empty paved area will also feature an integrated stormwater bioretention system, permeable pavers, a pollinator rain garden and a new lighting area.

Dupont Circle sees 20,000 Metro users, 25,000 vehicles and nine Metro and Georgetown University bus lines each day, according to Shapley鈥檚 presentation at the meeting.

Community members, residents and local, elected officials are behind the project. When the Dupont Tree Plaza project was proposed before all nine commissioners of the ANC-2B in July, they unanimously voted in favor of it.

City workers and locals that pass through this area daily say the project couldn鈥檛 come soon enough.

Dupont Circle resident Collin Savage said currently, the area is dangerous because of the lack of lights.

鈥淚t is a nice looking area, but it just seems like it needs some more added to it,鈥� Savage said.

Dupont Circle commuter Devin Paige said his wait for the bus in the summer is not a pleasant one because of the current lack of shade.

鈥淚t feels like a sauna out here, which is not good for our health or bodies,鈥� Paige said.

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Streets around the stadium were filled with cars, bumper to bumper. Normal travel times doubled and even tripled in some instances. The chance to witness history was a timely one.

The District Department of Transportation released a statement that 鈥渞esidents and visitors should expect significant impacts to on-street parking during the World Series.鈥�

During the duration of the World Series for Nationals home games, DDOT restricted 19 streets for parking and closed down three roads in SE and SW.

District resident Raynard Dugger went out to watch the game and enjoy drinks and food at a nearby restaurant. With ticket prices as high as $2,000 for a single ticket, Dugger thought he was making a smart move by watching a game nearby instead of getting tickets. But the real problem started with the post-game action outside the park. Dugger said his 15 minute ride home turned into a 鈥渘ightmare鈥� of over an hour.

鈥淚 knew what I was getting myself into when I came out to this game, but I wanted to witness history,鈥� Dugger said. 鈥淚 was disappointed to see my Nats lose those games, but I didn鈥檛 even have time to soak in what just happened. Instead, I had to sit in my car for over an hour and I鈥檓 not even far from the stadium.鈥�

Nats continue to Roll – Game Three in D.C. Friday – More Watch Parties Announced for those who don’t have tix!

鈥� PoPville (@PoPville)

As fans walked the streets talking about the game, frustration for commuters set in as they seemingly waited longer than the Nats have for their first World Series. Some people who didn鈥檛 even attend the game still had to suffer the consequences.

D.C. construction worker Marquelle Owens was just getting off work when he ran into the traffic frenzy. He usually works late at night, overtime shifts and is used to seeing clear roads. But this weekend, he was in for a rude awakening.

鈥淚 knew the park was near my work site, but I didn鈥檛 imagine it would be like this,鈥� Owens said. 鈥淚m happy and all for the Nats, but I want to be home and happy. I just had a newborn son and I want to spend as much time with him as possible. Others enjoyed time with their families at the games but turned into a bad dream when it came to the Metro. The inside of the Nationals Park Metro Station looked like a parking lot of its own.

DeDani Estrill and his family thought they could appreciate a nice night out in the nation’s capital, but instead his one-year-old daughter cried like she knew the score of the game as they waited through delays and packed metro cars.

鈥淲hen I ride the Metro to work, it usually takes me about 25 minutes from my house, and that鈥檚 with rush hour,鈥� Estrill said in anger. 鈥淚nstead it took us about 45 minutes to an hour to get home. That 20-30 extra minutes may not seem bad until you have a crying baby and cranky girlfriend.鈥�

For Nats fans who struggled during their commute home all weekend, they can enjoy the game from home tonight as the team travels to Houston for Game 6 at 8:07 on FOX.

The post 聽After losing home games, fans face 鈥榥ightmare鈥� traffic too first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Hailil Sarica, owner of Dupont Pizza, said the video was posted by a former employee and was recorded when the shop first opened in 2013 鈥� and, he said, the restaurant doesn鈥檛 have a rodent problem anymore. 最新蜜桃影像 tried to contact the employee on social media and did not receive a response.

Sarica was aware the former employee had the video in his possession and could release it at any time. Sarica fired the employee, who had worked for him for six years, on Oct. 2 and gave him his last paycheck that day. On Oct. 3, the video was posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Sarica said he was working when he heard the video had been posted and wished people understood the facts.

鈥淚 think people just believe what they see on social media,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just want them to see that everything on social media is not true. People are believing that video and want to stay away from the restaurant.鈥�

Sarica admitted there was a rat problem years ago, but that problem has not occurred since he became manager in 2016, he said. Sarica said if there were a rat problem, he would close down the restaurant, but instead he decided to 鈥渒eep the doors open.鈥� Sarica said he has nothing to hide and his reputation is on the line.

Since the decline in sales, Sarica said business is back to normal because his loyal customers did not believe the video and never saw any rats while eating there.

Tyree Henson is one of those customers. She started eating at Dupont Pizza a couple of years ago. She said she didn鈥檛 believe the video when it was first released.

鈥淲hen I first saw the video, I thought maybe they had more than one location,鈥� Henson said. 鈥淯ntil I see a rat with my own eyes, I will be there at lunch every week.鈥�

In order to keep those devoted customers, Sarica said he gets monthly pest inspections and also gets biweekly sanitation cleanings of the restaurant. The most recent inspection was completed the same day the video was released. The inspection came back with some minor observations, including missing signage at the sink about handwashing, no paper towels or soap at the sink, a dirty can opener and two dead roaches in shelf areas, 最新蜜桃影像 obtained.

But, according to the report, there were no signs of rats. The restaurant was allowed to reopen the next day at 4 p.m.

Phillip Wright, who is a former restaurant manager and current chef, knows that health inspections are accessible to customers.

鈥淭he next time I go, I will just ask to see a copy of their most recent health inspection. It is a public file so anybody can see it,鈥� Wright said.

Sarica said he wants to move forward from the entire controversy and get back to customers coming in and dining without having to check the floor every five minutes.

鈥淲e have been here for many years,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his can happen to anybody and I believe I was a victim. I just want everybody to support each other鈥檚 businesses.鈥�

Read the full inspection report from Oct. 3:

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This original statue was made in 1884 to honor Frances鈥� service during the Mexican-American War and Civil War.

But many people complained about it because they did not like the way it looked, calling it 鈥渋ron whiskers,鈥� a reference to Frances鈥� facial hair.

Congress heard their cries and planned to remove the monument when residents of Wilmington, Delaware, offered to take it.

The sculpture still stands in Rockford Park with a plaque saying 鈥淥riginally placed in Du Pont Circle 鈥� Washington, D.C. 鈥� It was removed to this site 鈥� A.D. MCMXX.鈥�

2. 聽The Sculptor and Architect of the fountain also designed the Lincoln Memorial

The designers of the Dupont Circle Fountain were architect Henry Bacon and sculptor Daniel Chester French.

The Dupont Family commissioned French and Bacon to build this statue.

Bacon designed the Lincoln Memorial and French made the statue of Abraham Lincoln inside.

The Dupont Circle Fountain on a summer day in 2019. The original designers were architect Henry Bacon and sculptor Daniel Chester French, who both also worked on the Lincoln Memorial.

3. 聽The fountain represents the Sea, Wind and the Stars

The Dupont Circle Fountain was made to represent Greek mythology. The Sea, Wind and Stars are the three arts of ocean navigation, represented by two females and a male.

The Sea serves as a female figure with long hair holding a boat in her right hand, clutching a seagull on her shoulder with her left hand and her foot relaxing on a dolphin.

The Stars show a nude female with lingering hair, gripping a globe in her left hand.

The Wind speak for a male figure clothed in a ship sail. He is clenching a conch shell with his left hand to use as a horn.

Van Hilliard, owner of Luna Grill in Dupont Circle and 20-year resident of the neighborhood, believes this fountain is a key part of the District. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a neat little epicenter of Washington D.C.,鈥� Hilliard said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to imagine D.C. without that park.鈥�

4. 聽The fountain was dedicated in 1921 with special guests

The ceremony revealed the new fountain to the public and was supervised by Lieutenant Colonel Clarence O. Sherrill. Episcopal Alfred Harding gave the invocation.

There were flags and shields at the ceremony to designate a VIP section that included First Lady Florence Harding, Secretary of War John W. Weeks and Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby.

The Navy band performed music for all the guests in attendance.

The fountain was unveiled by Samuel Frances Du Pont鈥檚 granddaughter Sophie Du Pont Ford.

5. 聽National Register of Historic Places lists the fountain in 1978

The National Register of Historic Place is a formal list of the United States most historic buildings, districts, sites, structures and objects worthy of preservation. This acknowledges more than 90,000 properties for the influence they had in American history, architecture, art, archeology, engineering and culture.

Since that time in 1978, Dupont Circle has undergone many changes itself.

Robby Bick, a 45-year resident of the neighborhood, has noticed changes over the past couple of decades. 鈥淭he area has involved into more of a gay mecca,鈥� Bick said. 鈥淚t is still a youth area and it鈥檚 a lot richer then is was a long time ago. It also has a lot of homeless people with mental illnesses. You see 20 little kids running around and they could care less if that guy over there is homeless.鈥�

6.聽 The fountain is one of 18 Civil War Monuments in DC

In 1971, President Richard Nixon passed Executive Order 11593 for certain monuments to become officialU.S. landmarks.

The order included statues of 11 Union generals and one Confederate general throughout the District.

These include but are not limited to the Nuns of the Battlefield Civil War Nurses Monument, Emancipation Memorial, Peace Monument, Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial and George Gordon Meade Memorial.

7. 聽Master Sculptor Constantine Seferlis restored and renovated the fountain in late 1990s.

Constantine Seferlis has completed notable restorations in the D.C., including the National Cathedral, the Smithsonian Castle, the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Institution.

Tara McCredie, general manager of Proper Toper, a restaurant on the circle, says the site is a good hangout spot. 鈥淚 know that the bike messengers hangout there and have been for years,鈥� McCredie said. 鈥淢y husband used to be a bike messenger. So, it鈥檚 a spot where people take a nap in between runs.鈥�

8.聽 The fountain was temporarily relocated in 1948 due to streetcars

A streetcar underpass was under construction beneath Dupont Circle after WWI.

Due to the maintenance, the fountain had to be removed from its location for two years. When it was moved back, the pumping system for the fountain was replaced.

However, the workers forgot to connect the pipes so it did not function properly. The problem was solved the following year.

9. 聽Algae takes over in 2016

Instead of clear, clean water, locals walked by the fountain to see a sea of green residue in the summer of 2016.

People complained to the National Park Service and after coverage by the media, workers came out to figure out the problem.

The result: a clogged intake line from pipes in the fountain.

10. The Dupont Circle Fountain becomes The Red Sea

On a sunny Monday in 2018, instead of clean, reflective blue, the fountain鈥檚 water had turned red.

The National Park Service was not aware of the problem until it gained social media buzz.

This was the result of a red-powdered dye that had been added to the fountain. The fountain was drained, filtered and refilled by the next day.

To this day, it remains unknown who added the dye and for what reason.

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