Pedestrian safety
(INFOGRAPHIC) Obscure law could trigger 20mph New York City speed limit
Last week, we discussed how greatly improved pedestrian casualty rates had led neighborhoods to request localized changes to the New York City speed limit – but the NYCDOT claimed that they didn’t have the budget for the switch. Now, it looks like an oft-forgotten rule might mean trigger a speed limit drop not just in some […]
Digital safety signs mean a traffic engineer has given up
We’re delighted to be joined by Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns for this post. You’re driving down an open road you travel every day, thinking more about your work, your kids or what awaits you at your destination than your surroundings. You don’t notice the cones or the construction signs, but when the big digital safety […]
What isn’t New York City doing about pedestrian safety?
This August, 855 pedestrians in New York City were injured and 12 killed by vehicles, according to the New York City Police Department. Blame it on driver inattention and blatant disregard for red lights and stop signs… or lack of political will. Here’s an account of what one of the richest cities in the world is […]
Cars pose greatest danger to NYC children’s safety
From deadly shark attacks to gunfire, many parents’ fears for their children are terrifying but unlikely, while a very real threat passes by nearly unregistered: traffic accidents. In bustling cities rife with traffic — such as New York — the biggest threat to children’s safety is found right on the road. (Case in point? Car crashes kill […]
WUI? New study blames pedestrian fatalities on booze
A recent study shows that over a third of pedestrians killed in motor vehicle accidents are impaired by alcohol, according to a recent article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A report published this month by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that total traffic fatalities decreased to their lowest levels since 1949, while pedestrian […]
Pedestrians or trespassers? Railroad fatalities skyrocket
New data released by the federal government tells an unfortunate story about railroad fatalities: Specifically, the number of pedestrians struck and killed by trains throughout the country has increased by 26 percent over the first five months of this year. Pedestrian railroad deaths climbed to 199 in that timeframe, a rise from 158 pedestrians killed […]
DOT campaign reminds: Everyone is a pedestrian
It can be an intimidating time to be a pedestrian – new federal statistics for 2011 have revealed that fatalities are on the rise, with estimates pegging a “pedestrian killed every two hours and injured every eight minutes in traffic crashes.” Plus, seventy-five percent of pedestrian deaths were in urban areas, and 70 percent of the […]
Transportation safety under Bloomberg’s reign
As Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s epic 11-year-long reign over New York City draws to a close this fall, the politician-business magnate is fighting hard to pass a variety of reforms, from office buildings designed to fight obesity to improved gun control. Yet in the city whose drivers never sleep, one of Bloomberg’s key focuses has been […]
Boston neighborhoods try to be more walkable
A city’s walkability is proportional to its economic prosperity, because walkable places do better business by attracting an influx of millennials who prefer easier commutes to larger homes. This shift toward pedestrian-friendly places then influences residential and commercial value and revenues earned in those neighborhoods- all contributing to the growth of a city. Besides being […]
Washington D.C. residents against sidewalk biking
Even though Washington D.C. bans bike riding on sidewalk in its central business district (CBD), some residents want reforms in its 30-year-old law that imposes limited restrictions on sidewalk biking. Cycling on sidewalks puts pedestrians’ safety at risk and leads to congestion on sidewalks, especially when biking has nearly doubled since 2007 in the city. […]
