From Jan. 1 to Oct. 15, 2024, 11 pedestrians on Henrico County streets. As traffic fatalities continue to rise, public safety officials are ramping up measures to protect county residents.
Tuesday, Henrico officials discussed the county’s seven-figure investments in infrastructure and initiatives aimed at educating the public about traffic safety.
Speaking at the Henrico Recreation and Parks office as part of Pedestrian Safety Month, officials touted the county's progress in lowering speed limits on more than 100 roads and implementing crosswalks and planned pedestrian improvements.
“One of the most difficult tasks our officers face is having to tell a family member that their loved one died from a traffic crash,” said Ken Burnett, executive chief of the Henrico County Police division. “Unfortunately, that has happened far too many times this year.”
There were 5,470 vehicle crashes in Henrico in 2023, resulting in 28 deaths and more than 2,500 injuries. Pedestrians were involved in 87 crashes, nine of them fatal. There were also 23 crashes involving bicycles, including one fatality.
So far this year, there have been 3,751 vehicle accidents, according to Virginia’s Traffic Records Electronic Data System. Seventy of those crashes have involved pedestrians, which Burnett said was possibly on pace to top last year’s figures.
“We have to change our behaviors while on the roadways and be aware of distractions,” Burnett said. “Crashes are preventable and it has to stop. We need to make a conscious effort to address this safety issue here in Henrico.”
To do that, the county promoted a number of initiatives to influence how drivers behave on the roads, like developing new strategies via the federally-funded Arrive Alive initiative. This program analyzes traffic data and surveys residents on which roads in the county need the most improvements.
Henrico has also engaged in local efforts like the Watch Out Ahead Henrico initiative, a public awareness campaign that promotes safer streets in the county and provides free high-visibility vests for pedestrians and cyclists.
Public Works Director Terrell Hughes said the county is also working hard to deploy pedestrian-minded infrastructure along the county’s roadways.
“We have a significant task ahead of us to retrofit our county into a place that is truly safe for pedestrians and cyclists,” Hughes said.
Although there are over 1,400 miles of roads in the county’s road system, there are only 276 miles of sidewalk, 45 miles of paved trails and 33 miles of bike lanes, according to Hughes.
In order to protect all county road users, Hughes said Henrico plans to invest in traffic calming measures and identify infrastructure improvements that will expand access and improve safety along county roads not just for drivers, but all road users.
Since 2019, speed bumps have been installed at 169 locations in Henrico, and as recently as September, the board of supervisors approved a $1.5 million budget allocation for street lighting and a supplement to an existing annual investment of $5 million for pedestrian-focused projects like speed tables and marked crossings.
“[We] currently have 57 active pedestrian safety improvement projects valued over $170 million,” Hughes said. “These projects will result in an additional 13 miles of sidewalks, 10 miles of shared use paths and numerous new signalized pedestrian crosswalks.”
Although the county has made strides to try and prevent future crashes, tragedies are still occuring on county roads everyday.
Ashley Fisher, a mother who lives close to Staples Mill Road, lost her 15-year-old son, Nathaniel Clark Jr., in September, when he was struck by a driver near the intersection of Staples Mill and Hungary Springs roads.
"He just loved to walk,” Fisher said. “If it wasn't walking his dog, it was walking to school. It gave him that sense of independence I think.
Since her son’s passing, Fisher is doing everything in her power to raise awareness about the dangers pedestrians face while walking and crossing the street in the county. While she recognizes the county’s efforts so far, she believes more can always be done.
She said it's the voice of her son that pushes her to be more involved in how Henrico shapes its future.
“He would say, 'Mom, get up, do something.' So that's him pushing all of this," Fisher said.
Fisher said she hopes the county continues to educate people of all ages about road safety, and as pedestrian infrastructure like crosswalks and lighting improves, she hopes more people in Henrico will be able to enjoy and walk without fear.
“I will want to see some real change within Henrico County,” Fisher said. “This is a busy area. We have shops right to the left of the schools. It's very populated, so if we could just implement that, that would really make me feel better, and I know Nathaniel would want that too.”
