After ‘terrifying’ streak of pedestrian deaths, Richmond officials tout traffic safety measures

Local officials are highlighting a variety of steps they’re taking to make Richmond’s streets safer after six pedestrian deaths in three weeks.

At a news conference held Thursday at City Hall, Mayor Danny Avula was joined by city and VCU police as he urged drivers to slow down and put their phones away, while outlining a variety of traffic safety initiatives. 

Those actions include the upcoming addition of red light cameras, the creation of a transportation director role at City Hall and the acceleration of funding for road infrastructure projects.

“We absolutely owe it to the people who were killed — and to every person who walks our streets — to act with urgency and resolve,” Avula said. “We will change the streets. And we will enforce the rules. And we will continue pushing toward a city where no one has to fear for their life simply getting where they need to go.”

Though the city has adopted the Vision Zero pledge that aims to eliminate traffic deaths altogether, Richmond saw 13 pedestrian deaths in 2025, according to the mayor.

“Each of those losses is heartbreaking, and the recent frequency of them over the last six weeks, frankly, is terrifying,” Avula said. “We cannot treat traffic deaths as normal. And we cannot accept that losing your life while walking, crossing the street, or heading to a bus stop is just part of living in a city.”

The mayor laid out five specific aspects of his focus on traffic safety:

• The establishment of the transportation director position within the Department of Public Works, a role that will be filled by former transportation program engineering manager Andy Boenau
• The addition of red light cameras at 10 city intersections, four of which are expected to be operational by the end of January
• The “immediate deployment” of transportation funding for various projects such as dedicated bus and bike lanes, speed tables, left turn hardening and button-activated pedestrian walkways for mid-block crossings
• The creation of a pedestrian safety task force in collaboration with VCU to address safety issues in the downtown area near City Hall and the VCU Health campus
• A road safety assessment focused on short-term and long-term fixes for East Broad Street between First and 14th streets

Some of the initiatives spotlighted Thursday had previously been announced, but the mayor indicated he and his team were renewing their focus on implementing those plans. The new transportation director position was announced in the mayor’s first budget proposal, which passed in the spring and took effect July 1.

When taking questions from reporters, officials were asked whether they feel lax enforcement by police and prosecutors have contributed to Richmond’s road safety problems. City officials acknowledged ongoing staffing shortages affecting the Richmond Police Department, but said officers are still doing what they can to enforce traffic laws.

Officials were asked specifically about the status of possible criminal charges in connection to the recent death of Bill Martin, the longtime Valentine Museum director who was fatally struck by a turning vehicle last month while he was in a crosswalk near City Hall.

On Dec. 28, officials said charges were pending against the driver who struck Martin. As of Thursday, no charges had been announced.

“I simply will say that we are conducting a competent and thorough investigation hand in hand with the commonwealth’s attorney,” Police Chief Rick Edwards said Thursday. “And when we have news, we will make that available.”

Edwards said the police work that goes into traffic cases is often more complicated than it might seem. He said investigators are often gathering cell phone records and other electronic data recorded on cars that could show what was happening prior to a collision.

“We want to leave no stone unturned,” Edwards said.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin did not attend Thursday’s news conference, but Edwards said city prosecutors take traffic cases “very seriously.”

“The driver's behavior, the pedestrian’s behavior, all of that has to be taken into account when the commonwealth’s attorney makes a charging decision,” Edwards said. “Our role as a police department is to be fact finders and present that to her office.”

Officials stressed the importance of both drivers and pedestrians making safer choices. Department of Public Works Director Bobby Vincent said the city is planning an awareness campaign to try to get “everybody realizing that they’re sharing the road together.”

“When we were growing up, a lot of times your parents tell you to look both ways,” Vincent said. “That’s not enough in a city like ours. By the time you look both ways, you could have someone coming on [a] bicycle. You could have someone coming that’s jogging, or pushing a baby in a baby carriage, or a dog or someone that’s driving. … You have to look both ways twice.”

Traffic safety, Avula said, is something City Hall has been focused on “for years.”

“But when you have had a month like we’ve had, it requires you to bring new eyes and a new sense of urgency to a situation,” the mayor said.

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org