Dangerous by Design – Region Needs to Spend More for Pedestrian Safety
FOR RELEASE CONTACT
MONDAY, NOV. 9, 2009 Cheryl Cort
11 A.M., EST Tel. 202-244-4408 x 112, or
202-251-7516
Email: Cheryl@smartergrowth.net
“Dangerous by Design”
Region (VA, MD, DC, WV) Ranks 32nd
in Preventable Pedestrian Deaths, and Below National Average for Spending on Pedestrian Safety
Coalition for Smarter Growth urges Congressional delegation to Support Increased Focus on Pedestrian Safety in Upcoming Federal Legislation
Washington, D.C. — Over the past 12 years, more than 76,000 pedestrians have died in America and even today, walking is ten times more dangerous than driving in a car. According to a report released today, the Greater Washington, D.C. region encompassing the four states of Virginia, Maryland, DC, and West Virginia is above the national average for pedestrian danger, ranking 32 out of the 52 largest metropolitan areas.
The report, Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods), ranks America’s major metropolitan areas and states according to a Pedestrian Danger Index that assesses how safe they are for walking. An update of the 2004 Mean Streets report, Dangerous by Design is released by Transportation for America (T4America.org) and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. This report also follows the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s 2008 report, Washington Area’s Mean Streets (smartergrowth.net).
The report authors note that most pedestrian deaths are preventable. They occur because too many streets are designed to encourage speeding traffic and lack safe sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals and other protections. Fixing these problems is a matter of will on the part of state departments of transportation and local communities, and of shifting spending priorities, the report concludes.
The report also examined how states and localities are spending federal money that could be used to make the most dangerous streets safer, and found that the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan region ranked 25th, spending $1.19 per person per year on pedestrian and bicycle safety projects; less than the national average of $1.39 per person among the 52 largest metropolitan areas.
“Our region is in the middle of the rankings because we are not investing enough to protect our residents from speeding traffic,” said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “With pedestrians comprising over 21% of traffic fatalities in the region, we should be spending far more making our streets safer for pedestrians.”
Suburban communities are often the scene of the most dangerous walking conditions and have a higher pedestrian danger index. That was the finding in 2008 when the Coalition for Smarter Growth ranked Fairfax County, Virginia; Prince George’s County, Maryland; and Prince William County, Virginia, as the most hazardous places for pedestrians in the DC region. According to Cort, “While Fairfax County has invested in millions of dollars in pedestrian facilities it still faces many challenges to making its communities safe places to walk. The urban communities of Alexandria and Arlington in Virginia, and the District of Columbia achieved markedly lower pedestrian danger scores based on the percentage of people walking to work, because of narrower streets designed for slower speeds.”
While walking conditions remain perilous across the country, many communities are working to make their streets safe and welcoming for people on foot or bicycle, the report shows. Communities across the country are beginning to reverse the dangerous legacy of 50 years of anti-pedestrian policies by retrofitting or building new roads as “complete streets” that are safer for walking and bicycling as well as motorists.
Mount Rainier, Maryland’s roundabout on Route 1 is an outstanding example of a small community creating safer conditions for pedestrians while accommodating traffic flow.
“Mount Rainier worked with the state to replace a conventional intersection with a roundabout, creating a safer and more inviting walking environment for their downtown while maintaining traffic flow. More investments like this could save lives and encourage more residents to engage in healthy levels of activity. By investing in sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic calming and other safety measures we build better communities for everyone,” said Cort. “However, in many cases we are hampered by state and federal road design policies and inadequate funding that result in dangerous conditions.”
“As Congress prepares to rewrite the nation’s transportation law, this report is yet another wake-up call showing why it is so urgent to update our policies and spending priorities,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America.
Under the current federal transportation bill, less than 1.5 percent of available funds are directed toward pedestrian safety, although pedestrians account for nearly 12 percent of all traffic deaths and 9 percent of total trips. Between 2007 and 2008, more than 700 children under the age of 15 were killed walking.
“Many of the region’s Congressional delegation have signed on to transportation bills to strengthen pedestrian and bicycle safety, but we would like to see 100% support,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
ABOUT THE COALITION FOR SMARTER GROWTH
The Coalition for Smarter Growth is a Washington, D.C. regional non-profit organization focused on ensuring that transportation and development accommodate growth while revitalizing communities, providing more housing and travel choices, and conserving our natural and historic areas. www.smartergrowth.net
ABOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA (T4AMERICA)
Transportation for America is a broad coalition of housing, environmental, equal opportunity, public health, urban planning, transportation and other organizations focused on creating a 21st century national transportation program. The coalition’s goal is to build a modernized infrastructure and healthy communities where people can live, work and play by aligning national, state and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development. www.t4america.org
Seven organizations served on the steering committee for this report, working closely with T4 America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. These organizations include the American Public Health Association, AARP, Smart Growth America, America Bikes, America Walks, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and the National Complete Streets Coalition.
