Pedestrian safety
Basics
Where “Jaywalking” Is Not a Crime
In Dutch cities, people can cross the street wherever they think it's safe.
September 11, 2017
Honolulu’s Pedestrian-Blaming Law Sets Off a Round of Copycats
Instead of reforming our transportation and land use policies to make walking safer, American cities are doubling down on a dysfunctional system by blaming pedestrians for their own deaths.
September 5, 2017
A Truck Driver Struck Three Black People Walking in Ville Platte, Louisiana. Police Charged the Victims.
A truck driver struck and injured three young black men walking in Ville Platte, Louisiana, on Tuesday, and the local authorities only want to penalize the victims. Police charged the three men who were struck, filing misdemeanors for not wearing reflective clothing and "obstructing a public passage."
August 25, 2017
Cell Phones Don’t Make Walking Dangerous — Car-Based Cities Do
Forget cell phone use or dark clothing. What makes walking dangerous are streets and cities that were shaped during the heyday of auto-sprawl.
August 1, 2017
Seattle Council Member Asks Whether “Jaywalking” Laws Do More Harm Than Good
The concept of "jaywalking" has become deeply embedded in American culture, but if you go back just a few generations, the idea that your mere presence in the street could be illegal was a novel idea. Now one elected official in Seattle is suggesting that laws penalizing people outside of cars have gone too far.
July 28, 2017
Self-Driving Cars Should Accommodate People, Not the Other Way Around
You think victim-blaming is bad now? Making everyone walk or bike with a "don't hit me" device would further penalize the most vulnerable.
July 25, 2017
How “Distracted Walking” Hype Puts Pedestrians at Risk
It's easier to blame pedestrian deaths on victims than to confront our responsibility to create a safer transportation system.
July 25, 2017
Honolulu City Council Wants Tighter Distraction Rules for Pedestrians Than for Drivers
The bill would prohibit people from "viewing a mobile electronic device" while crossing the street. Meanwhile, Honolulu drivers can take their eyes off the road to look at their dash-mounted devices, issue voice commands, and so forth while plowing through an intersection.
July 18, 2017
Nashville Is Finally Tackling Its Sidewalk Problem
In Nashville, only 37 percent of streets have sidewalks, according to the most generous estimates. Now a new law will require developers to build them, or pay a price.
July 3, 2017
Why Looking at Crash Stats Alone Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story About Pedestrian Safety
Some intersections are riskier to cross than others, but looking at the number of pedestrian injuries alone doesn’t tell the whole story. A new study from Minneapolis combines crash data with pedestrian counts to deliver a more nuanced picture of traffic dangers for people on foot. Among the findings: There’s safety in numbers for pedestrians.
June 20, 2017
