Metro News Release

For immediate release: February 15, 2007

Metro to emphasize pedestrian safety, retrain bus operators

Initiative established after two pedestrians fatally struck

Within hours of a Metrobus/pedestrian accident in which two Alexandria women died, Metro’s top official announced a more aggressive emphasis on pedestrian safety.

“Today we began face-to-face, one-on-one and group sessions with our bus operators to re-emphasize the requirement to wait for and yield to pedestrians in crosswalks,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe.

Posters with similar reminders are being placed at all bus facilities today. An official notice to bus operators is being drafted that emphasizes pedestrian safety issues. Additionally, Metro will require all of its bus operators to participate in a minimum one- to two-day retraining effort that emphasizes pedestrian safety. Planning for those training sessions also began today.

“We offer our condolences to the families” of the women who were struck, Catoe said. “It was a tragedy. We need to do everything possible to avoid a repeat. That bus operator has made left turns 10,000 times successfully. Unfortunately this time something happened that was different.”

Last night’s accident took place in the Penn Quarter section of downtown Washington, DC, when Metrobus 2124, running the 54 route to Takoma was traveling northbound on Seventh Street, NW, and was making a left turn onto westbound Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The bus struck Sally McGhee and Martha Schoenborn at 6:39 p.m. Both died of their injuries.

Metrobus operator Victor Kolako, who has been working as a driver since 2000, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the accident.

Metro has implemented several actions to improve bus and pedestrian safety. Officials have:

• Assessed high accident routes and locations to reduce the risk of accidents;
• Observed driver performance at key locations by route supervisors;
• Purchased a bus simulator for initial and refresher training;
• Established a mentor program for new bus operators;
• Expanded operator service observations to evening hours with instructors randomly riding at night to observe and correct driver performance;
• Installed retro-reflective tabs on bus shelters and developed night light bus stop pilots;
• Installed a collision avoidance system on 50 buses as a pilot program; and
• Installed flashing amber lights atop 100 Metrobuses in the District of Columbia to help pedestrians spot the buses from a distance at night.

For the past four years, Metrobus accidents have held relatively steady, despite ridership and mileage increases. Metro averages 3.83 accidents per 100,000 miles with the majority of those accidents (61 percent) classified as non-preventable.

The last fatality involving a Metrobus and a pedestrian took place on January 16. The bus operator was terminated.

News release issued at 12:00 am, February 15, 2007.