The Mayor of Alexandria, Justin Wilson, and the Chair of Arlington County Board, Christian Dorsey, were joined by Alexandria Chief of Police, Mike Brown, as well as the husband and daughters of Rosemarie Cruz in support of the message that there is a health crisis in our communities caused from traffic violence being inflicted on pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. Rosemarie Cruz, the mother of a ten and eleven-year-old daughters, who was killed in the Arlandria area by a distracted driver while crossing Mt. Vernon Ave with the crosswalk sign in her favor on Dec 4, 2016.
Additional families who lost loved ones to traffic violence, crash survivors and over 100 other concerned citizens from Alexandria, Arlington and the Arlandria neighborhood joined in the WDR in commemoration. Speakers called attention to a regional, not just an Alexandria nor just an Arlington crisis of pedestrians and cyclists being crashed into by drivers who are often times distracted immediately prior to hitting the vulnerable road user. Vigilance on the part of drivers, cyclist and pedestrians alike plus improvement in safer road designs and higher enforcement visibility are ways in which traffic violence against pedestrian and other road users can be reduced.
Sunday’s march was unfortunately preceded by yet another pedestrian being killed by a driver on Saturday morning, Nov 16th as the pedestrian was crossing Duke while in a cross walk.
