Designing roads just for cars is deadly for bicyclists and walkers

It's a deadly mistake to design streets and roads with only cars in mind, especially as more commuters are turning to walking and bicycling.

That's no surprise to those of us on bikes. But it's always welcome to see groups like the Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership reach that conclusion in their report issued this week.

In fact, the most dangerous cities for walking in the US are in the South — car-centric areas that have undergone rapid growth in recent decades. The worst cities in the US for walking, based on the report's pedestrian danger index, are the metro areas of Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville and Memphis.

Four of those cities that lead the pedestrian danger list are in Florida, a state that always ranks near the top for the rate of bicycling fatalities as well.

Better road design and engineering

Although Dangerous by Design focuses on pedestrians, it calls for better road design and more spending directed at pedestrians and bicycling facilities. That means improvements and more spending directed at sidewalks, crosswalks, crossing lights, bike lanes and bike paths.

Spending for pedestrian and bicycling projects is dismal, according to the report. The 52 largest metro areas annually spend on average just $1.39 per person in federal funds on those projects.

“Nationwide, less than 1.5 percent of funds authorized under the federal transportation law, SAFETEA-LU, have been allocated for projects to improve the safety of walking and bicycling, even though pedestrians comprise 11.8 percent of all traffic deaths and trips made on foot account for almost 9 percent of total trips.

“At the state and local levels, no state spends more than 5 percent of federal transportation funds on sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic calming, speed humps, multi-use paths, or safety programs for pedestrians or cyclists.”

Recommendations

The policy boards suggests Congress take the following actions:

— Adopt a National Complete Streets Policy that ensures all road projects take all road users — pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders — into account;

— Expand the Safe Routes to School Program so more communities can make walking and bicycling to school more safe;

— Commit at least 12% of Highway Safety Improvement Program funds to pedestrian projects, as that's the rate of pedestrian killed in traffic fatalities.

— Hold states accountable for building streets that are safe for all users, retrofit the most dangerous roads for safety, and ensure that federal funds result in fewer traffic deaths and a more active population.

Pacific Northwest

Although all cities can improve, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area scored well a couple of lists in the report.

The region ranked near the bottom of the list — 48th out of the 52 largest metro areas — on the pedestrian danger index. That compared the rate of pedestrian deaths to the number of people who walk. The Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton metro area ranked well also, 44th.

Also, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area scored 3rd among the amount of federal funds spent per person annually on pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton ranked 12th.

Further, Vancouver, Washington, was credited for making Fourth Plain Boulevard safer by giving the four-lane highway a road diet. It now has two traffic lanes, a center turn lane and two bicycle lanes.

Charts

Most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians

Highest federal spending on pedestrian and bicycle safety per person

Charts taken directly from Dangerous by Design report.