Lighting the Way: Alexandria’s Push for Road Safety After Dark

ALEXANDRIA, VA – You closed your laptop, you left your office and walked out to your car Monday early evening. It hits you. It is growing dark at 5:00 pm. It is the day after the clocks turned back, plunging commuters into darkness.

The week of the time change is a particularly challenging one on the roads. Commuters must adjust to that sudden shift to a darker rush hour. Everyone is commuting in the dark, and that includes bicyclists and pedestrians. Typically, the region sees an increase in conflicts involving motorists and those on foot, bicycle and scooter in this week of Daylight Savings Time.

A July 2025 study, published in the Journal of Safety Research, investigated fatal crashes in the United States in the five weeks before and after Daylight Saving Time. It found fatal pedestrian and cyclist crashes increased 13 per cent after the fall change, with “light condition” listed as a “key determinant” of the impact time changes have on serious accidents.

Enter Operation Illumination, an annual city event, which focuses on helping pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users stay safe during the darker hours by providing free lights and safety equipment. On Wednesday evening November 5, Go Alex set up two booths between Arlandria and the Braddock Road Metro to hand out freebies and educate bicyclists and pedestrians on road safety.

“This is a very important time of year for us to be out here promoting safety for pedestrians and cyclists,” Katye North told The Zebra. She is Division Chief for Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES)/Mobility Services. “It’s hard to see them, so we’re trying to make sure that they have the gear that keeps them reflective, keeps them lit up so that people in vehicles see them and can adjust their driving habits accordingly.”

North was “womaning” one of the two stations at the south end of the Potomac Yard Trail, just down the street from the Braddock Road Metro. She greeted commuters who choose alternative modes of transportation, and handed out freebies.  She said many bicyclists and pedestrians stopped by and appreciated that the city has their back.

“This is such a great location. We’re catching people off the trail, off the Metro, off the bus, which is exactly what we want. You want people in Alexandria to feel safe walking and biking throughout the city, and we are thrilled that we can be here to help them do that.”

Go Alex also set up a table of free giveaways in Arlandria at the corner of Mount Vernon and West Reed Avenues.

You could not miss Ashley Daniel. The 43-year-old Air Force employee was in a neon yellow reflective jacket, lights blinking and prominently displayed on her clothing and bicycle. Coming off the Potomac Yard trail, she stopped to talk to The Zebra.

“I try to bike commute at least a couple of days a week,” Daniel shared, as the Metro rumbled overhead. “You know, people are busy and distracted, especially in an area like this, so I try to be as bright and visible as possible. I always have lights on the front, lights on the back, and as much gear as I can fit on myself to be reflective.”

Daniel stressed that you have to plan in the morning for your afternoon commute. She reminded like-minded commuters that even if you leave work at 4:00 pm, you are still going to be riding in the dark.

“So you need to be thinking about it when you leave in the morning and it’s light out. You have to make sure you’ve got all the things with you.”

“I just think it’s really important to be as visible and obnoxious about it as possible,” Daniel laughed.

To learn more about Alexandria’s efforts to improve road user safety, visit Vision Zero | City of Alexandria, VA