There tends to be a lot of attention given to the state of bicycling to maneuver this city’s streets, and rightfully so. But what about those of us who don’t have the benefit of a manpowered two-wheeler to ride to work? After all, recent statistics show that 11.8 percent of D.C. walks to work, compared to the 2 percent who pedal.

Well, DDOT has us people on feet in mind. On Tuesday, the agency released its “Pedestrian Master Plan” (link leads to a 11MB PDF) for the next ten years – because for a city with the “most walkable places,” there sure are some dangerous places to take a stroll – 14th and U, for instance, had 12 instances of cars hitting people between 2004 and 2006.

Some of the highlights? Well, simple things like repainting crosswalks, and increasing light durations to encourage safe crossing (yes, that means you, Mister “Cross Pennsylvania Avenue with 2 Seconds Left on the Clock”). Also, you can look forward to more graphic advertisements depicting coffeehouse patrons getting mauled by careening death vehicles.

One change that caught our eye was the suggestion to raise fines for drivers who fail to yield right-of-way to match those found in other jurisdictions in the area – D.C.’s fine currently is $50 per infraction, whereas the fine in Fairfax County can be as high as $500 per incident. Of course, the key is enforcement – personally, we here on Transit on Thursday have a pedestrian walkway outside our office building, which was monitored for a short period – but only after a pedestrian was almost smashed walking through it. Then again, if local law enforcement could be as judicious with these types of tickets as they are with jaywalking, it might just work.

After reading the report’s helpful suggestions, what are your biggest gripes with or ideas to improve pedestrian safety in the District?

photo by HoiPolloi.