Hyattsville Mayor: Sidewalks Save Lives

Doubling down on a commitment to expand the network of pedestrian amenities in Hyattsville, Mayor Marc Tartaro said that sidewalks were needed in more neighborhoods as a simple matter of safety. 

"The last pedestrian to be killed on a Hyattsville street was on 38th Street because he was walking where there wasn't a sidewalk available," said Tartaro during the meeting. "All it takes is for one person to be a victim, and that's all I have to say about that."

Tartaro's comments came in response to a plea from Ward 2 resident and city activist David Marshall to install sidewalks in University Hills. 

Saying that he did not understand the Marshall said that University Hills needs sidewalks more than many other city neighborhoods. 

Underscoring his point, Marshall noted that University Hills borders a popular park to the west and a large high school to the south, two spots which draw a significant amount of pedestrian traffic. 

"This is a community that has children, that has commuters, that has people that want to walk," said Marshall. "They need a safe place to walk, in all parts of the city."

Tartaro, in responding, referred to a fatal December 2010 hit-and-run incident on 38th Street which killed 18-year-old Takoma Park resident Wilber Ramirez. According to The Washington Post, Ramirez was struck in the 5000 block of 38th Avenue at around 2 a.m. Ramirez was pronounced dead on the scene. 

Hyattsville has a sidewalk policy which mandates that handicap-accessible pedestrian facilities be installed on all city streets where they can be feasibly installed.