New York

Fed Up Residents See Some Safety Improvements to Dangerous DC Intersections

Some residents of Southeast D.C. say they are so fed up with unsafe drivers in their neighborhood that they painted crosswalks on their street.

Ronald Thompson lives along 16th Street SE and has called for safety improvements along the section of road for months.

"Yes, I’m mad, because I know what it means when people in their neighborhoods feel their government, that their leaders, do not care about them,” resident Ronald Thompson said.

Crews put up some stop signs after a deadly crash on Easter Sunday. A man from New York was walking when a driver ran a stop sign, collided with a car and crushed him.

After that crash, Thompson said he and a friend painted a crosswalk at one intersection because drivers continue to speed.

D.C.'s Department of Transportation says residents should not paint crosswalks anywhere as it could unintentionally create a hazard. DDOT said it would removed the crosswalk Thompson painted.

Several drivers blew through the stop signs on his street during Thompson's interview with News4 on Thursday.

“It’s not just this street. It’s Ward 7. It’s Ward 8. It’s Alabama Avenue. It's Mississippi Avenue. It's Southern Avenue. It's Eastern Avenue. It's Central Avenue," Thompson said. “And it’s something as small as painting every crosswalk that is not painted, that is fading away.”

On Thursday, crews installed some pedestrian safety signs. 

But Thompson says he would still like to see more done to prevent deadly crashes.

“Put your money and your actions where your mouth is, because we are doing it. People are painting crosswalks.”

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