People living near the intersection of Del Ray and Commonwealth avenues say the unusual four-way intersection is dangerous, and they fear it is just a matter of time before a bad accident happens.
Motorists frequently roll through the stop signs and often ignore people in the crosswalk, said Suzanne Caldwell, a local business owner and mother of two school-age children, who lives near the intersection.
"I've been in the crosswalk and a car has been so close trying to get in front of me that I could touch it," Caldwell said. "The pedestrian safety has just become so alarming."
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The crosswalk is one of several marked cross-overs along Commonwealth Avenue, and it is heavily used by students heading to Mount Vernon Community School and families with strollers pushing young kids to story time at Duncan Library. Despite crosswalk laws that require drivers to wait until pedestrians finish walking through the marked area, drivers routinely edge past people before they reach the sidewalk.
Martha-Helene Stapleton, who lives near the intersection, said drivers have pushed their cars within a foot behind her before she's even made it to the middle of the crosswalk with her two young children.
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"It startles me because the kids could stop to pick up something or drop their shoe," she said. "I think the first summer that we were here I called the police twice a week for a month. I did see a response but it wasn't consistent. There hasn't been any progress from what I've seen."
Neighbors' concerns don't just center on pedestrians, however. The intersection is also dangerous for cars crossing over Commonwealth Avenue on Del Ray Avenue because they must cross on a diagonal. Because of the odd break in the road, motorists on Commonwealth Avenue rarely yield to drivers on Del Ray Avenue who have the right of way.
"It's a four-way stop but people treat it as a two-eay stop," Caldwell said.
She shared her concerns with Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne one morning recently at the Del Ray Farmer's Market and followed up with a letter that outlined the various safety issues at the intersection.
"I'm very familiar with the intersection and people have complained to me about it before," Lawhorne said.
The Sheriff's Office is not responsible for traffic enforcement, however. It runs the jail and the courthouse and oversees prisoner transport, among other things. The Alexandria Police Department is responsible for all police functions, including traffic enforcement.
"Because the sheriff is a lifelong Del Ray resident, he may ask deputies to be out there as a courtesy but we are definitely secondary law enforcement," said Commander Mondre Kornegay of the Sheriff's Office.
There were five accidents at the intersection from 2008-09, most of them fender- benders, said Ashley Hildebrandt, a police spokeswoman. There have been no reported accidents at the intersection so far this year.
"If people have concerns they can, of course, call us," she said.
Residents can also log traffic concerns and complaints at the police department website.
Kornegay said residents concerned about safety at the intersection should call the city manager and the mayor as well. Any changes in traffic control at the intersection would come from the city's planning and zoning department, she said.
Like many residents who live near Del Ray and Commonwealth, Caldwell has become hyper-vigilant when she uses the crosswalk. In fact, she avoids the intersection on school mornings and walks her children instead to a crosswalk outside the school that has a stop light and a crossing guard.
"It's a little ridiculous that I have to hold my 9-year-old daughter's hand to cross the street," she said.
Her concerns about pedestrian safety aren't limited to just children.
"Even adult pedestrians deserve to have a safe place to cross," Caldwell said. "And it's not safe for anybody."
