Pedestrian safety
The Votes Are In: Omaha Abomination Voted Worst Intersection in the U.S.
Well, it was a tough competition for America's Worst Intersection, with a lot of worthy contenders -- the kind of intersections that would make an Olympic sprinter nervous. But the people have spoken -- 468 of them -- and in the end it wasn't even close. Our winner is Omaha, Nebraska's intersection of 132nd Street, Industrial Road, Millard Avenue, and L Street.
February 5, 2013
Poll: The Hunt for the Worst Intersection in America Continues
Earlier this week we looked at the intersection of Route 355 and Shady Grove Road near Rockville, Maryland, flagged by Ben Ross at Greater Greater Washington for being especially hostile to pedestrians, even though it's the site of a bus stop. We asked if it might be the worst intersection in the country and put out a call for readers to send their nominations for the title.
January 31, 2013
Pedestrian Deaths on Railroad Tracks: The Failure of Design
In 2006, 14-year old Kristen Bowen was killed on the train tracks near her house in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park. She was using a well-worn shortcut across the tracks that cut her residential neighborhood off from the school and the park they used. Four years after Kristen's death, her twin sister committed suicide by stepping in front of a train near where Kristen was struck. Those tracks are covered with balloon memorials and crosses, commemorating those who have died.
December 13, 2012
Phoenix Trying to Get a Handle on Pedestrian Deaths
Being a pedestrian in Phoenix is dangerous business. This is a place that comes by its reputation as a car-friendly city honestly. Phoenix pedestrians account for just 2 percent of collisions, but 42 percent of fatalities. That's the fourth-highest share of overall traffic deaths in the country, behind three cities with much more walking -- New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
November 5, 2012
Greater Atlanta Continues to Treat Walking Like a Crime
Despite the national outrage over the Raquel Nelson case, officials in metro Atlanta continue to treat pedestrians like criminals.
October 2, 2012
LaHood Incorrectly Blames 80 Percent of Pedestrians for Their Own Deaths
Last week, U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood helped NYC transpo commish Janette Sadik-Khan launch a new phase of the "LOOK!" campaign, with pavement markings instructing texting pedestrians to wake the hell up. He made a comment that made its way into his blog post about the event, as well as other media reports on the event, and it caught the attention of Streetsblog NYC's crack reporting team.
September 27, 2012
Georgia Prosecutor Continues Case Against Raquel Nelson
The impaired hit-and-run driver who struck and killed her son on a metro Atlanta road in 2010 has been released from prison by now, but Raquel Nelson is still being prosecuted for her purported role in the tragedy.
September 11, 2012
Chicago Unveils Its Ambitious Pedestrian Safety Plan
Yesterday, the city of Chicago rolled out a sweeping new plan for pedestrian safety [PDF]. With some 250 recommendations -- including traffic-calming measures like pedestrian islands, chicanes and midblock curb bumpouts -- Chicago joins cities like New York and Portland in formalizing a plan to meet targets for reducing pedestrian injuries and deaths.
September 6, 2012
In New NHTSA Report, Scarce Information on Causes of Pedestrian Deaths
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported last December that while overall traffic fatalities in the United States dropped in 2010, pedestrian deaths rose higher – up four percent in 2010 over 2009. Yesterday, the agency released some more detailed statistics about those crashes [PDF], but the report includes scarcely any data or analysis about the underlying causes of pedestrian deaths.
August 7, 2012
Making Lawmakers Answer For Pedestrian Deaths In Their Districts
Rep. James Lankford, a Tea Party Republican representing Oklahoma City, probably wasn't responsible for any of the 118 pedestrian deaths in his district between 2001 to 2010. And it's unlikely Rep. Steve Southerland of Panama City, Florida was behind the wheel when any of the 164 people were killed while walking in his district during the decade.
June 21, 2012