If success breeds success, then our Lieutenant Pat Burke is on a roll. In part because DC already has the highest seat-belt compliance in the U.S., Metropolitan Police Department has been now able to attract significant federal funds for a broad range of new technology to improve safety. DOT chief Dan Tangherlini has been a big help in advising how to secure and make use of such funding.

An impressive litany of statistics was presented at a Ward 3 Traffic meeting: in each MPD district will be nine new laser speed detection units and a Smart machine (displays speed in large figures). Drunk driving will be combated with 30 passive alcohol breathalyzers, 100 roadside breath-testers, and two mobile alcohol testing vans complete with lockup for onsite processing.

Squad cars equipped with new laser speed detection will be deployed at over sixty sites throughout the city, and the existing red-light camera systems will be modified to also detect “speed on green” and any illegal “no right turn on red.”

While the use of “speed bumps” or “speed humps” is still under legal review and the subject of concern by DC’s Fire and EMS professionals, Arlington County is doing some innovative speed management with re-locatable bumps made of rubber that get moved around. On August 21^st the DC traffic committee will visit Lyon Village to hear from residents how different measures have worked for them.

DOT’s Parking Enforcement will also be able to better serve residential areas with the hiring of 138 new parking officers with a guarantee to sweep every street once per day. In addition 15 staff will be devoted to ROSA (Registration of Out-of-State Automobiles). DOT is working on software for mobile computers to ensure DOT, MPD and DMV systems work together on ROSA enforcement.