WASHINGTON – Montgomery County is seeing fewer pedestrian fatalities, and County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett credits his pedestrian safety program.

The number of pedestrians killed by drivers continues to drop.

In 2008, 19 pedestrians were killed in Montgomery County. In 2011, the number declined to 11. In 2012, the number is now in the single digits.

Leggett says at the intersections where the highest number of crashes were occurring, collisions with pedestrians are now down 45 percent.

He says that’s an indication his pedestrian safety program, which has been in effect for five years, is working.

But he says more needs to be done.

The timing on lights at more than half of the county’s intersections will be extended to give pedestrians more time to cross. The current timing can leave pedestrians stranded on a traffic island or right in the middle of a busy road built for cars, not walkers.

The effort to make the roads safer includes designing roads and sidewalks with cyclists and pedestrians in mind.

WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @KateRyanWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.

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