Smart Growth Resource Library

Dangerous by Design

by: Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Project

Dangerous by Design, a new report that ranks the nation’s most dangerous metropolitan areas for walking, concludes that ‘incomplete’ streets are a major culprit in the deaths of thousands of Americans every year. The report, from Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Project, finds that as many as 40 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes are in places where no crosswalk was available and that arterials designed only for cars are the most dangerous.

The report analyzes the more than 9,000 pedestrian deaths in the U.S. in 2007 and 2008, and its findings are reflected in accounts of pedestrian deaths in the news media. “This report shows that making isolated safety improvements after a crash is not enough,” says Barbara McCann, Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition. “We need Complete Streets policies that ensure that every road is planned and designed from the outset for the safety of everyone who will be using it – whether driving, walking, bicycling, or getting on a bus. Complete streets are not only safe, but help create more attractive, livable communities.”

The report also calls attention to the low levels of investment of federal funds in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure – less than 1.5 percent of federal transportation dollars over the last few years. We know that a cost-efficient way to improve pedestrian safety is to consider their needs as part of every road project – that is what the Complete Streets Act of 2009 would do. It would require states and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to adopt Complete Streets policies that would apply to federally-funded projects. In essence, this could turn just about every road project into one that improves safety for pedestrians.

For more information and links, visit www.completestreets.org/resources/new-pedestrian-safety-ranking-calls-for-complete-streets.

Resource: http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign/

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