Dangerous By Design - Mixed Review of VA Pedestrian Safety
FOR RELEASE CONTACT
MONDAY, NOV. 9, 2009 Stewart Schwartz, 703-599-6437 (available for
11 A.M., EST for onsite TV, radio and print interviews in Richmond)
Cheryl Cort, 202-244-4408 x 112; 202-251-7516
(available for onsite interviews in the DC Metro area)
“Dangerous by Design”
Report Gives Virginia Mixed Reviews Regarding Preventable Pedestrian Deaths and the Amount Spent on Pedestrian Safety
Coalition for Smarter Growth urges Congressional delegation to Support Increased Focus on Pedestrian Safety in Upcoming Federal Legislation
Washington, D.C. — Over the past 12 years, more than 76,000 pedestrians have died in America and even today, walking is ten times more dangerous than driving in a car. According to a report released today, among the metropolitan regions in Virginia, pedestrians face the greatest risk when walking in the Richmond and Roanoke regions(see fact sheet); and when ranking Virginia’s largest metropolitan areas against the 52 largest regions in the country according to a Pedestrian Danger Index, Richmond ranks 24th, theGreater Washington, D.C. region including northern Virginia ranks 32nd, and the Hampton Roads region ranks 39th out of 52 large regions.
The report, Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods), ranks America’s major metropolitan areas and states according to a Pedestrian Danger Index that assesses how safe they are for walking. An update of the 2004 Mean Streets report, Dangerous by Design is released by Transportation for America (T4America.org) and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. This report also follows the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s 2008 report, Washington Area’s Mean Streets (www.smartergrowth.net).
The report authors note that most pedestrian deaths are preventable. They occur because too many streets are designed to encourage speeding traffic and lack safe sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals and other protections. Fixing these problems is a matter of will on the part of state departments of transportation and local communities, and of shifting spending priorities, the report concludes.
The report also examined how states and localities are spending federal money that could be used to make the most dangerous streets safer, and found that Virginia ranks poorly. While the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan region ranked 25th, spending $1.19 per pedestrian and bicyclist per year for pedestrian and bicycle safety projects, it still ranked less than the national average of $1.39 per person among the 52 largest metropolitan areas, while Richmond ranked dead last spending just 16 cents, and Hampton Roads ranked 50th
“We have seen some important reforms in Virginia including VDOT’s policy to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists in road projects and the new subdivision street standards that allow for narrower streets,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “Yet, we still have too many pedestrians and bicyclists dying on our roadways, because we are not investing enough to protect our residents from speeding traffic and we have many streets and roads which we need to make safer.” While trying to preserve highway construction, VDOT has recently cut spending to near zero on the primary, secondary and urban streets most used by pedestrians.
Virginia’s suburban communities are often the scene of the most dangerous walking conditions and have a higher pedestrian danger index. That was the finding in 2008 when the Coalition for Smarter Growth ranked Fairfax and Prince William Counties, along with Prince George’s County, Maryland, as the most hazardous places for pedestrians in the DC region. According to Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for the Coalition, “While Fairfax County has invested in millions of dollars in pedestrian facilities it still faces many challenges to making its communities safe places to walk. The urban communities of Alexandria and Arlington in Virginia, and the District of Columbia achieved markedly lower pedestrian danger scores based on the percentage of people walking to work, because of narrower streets designed for slower speeds.”
While walking conditions remain perilous across the country, many communities are working to make their streets safe and welcoming for people on foot or bicycle, the report shows. Communities across the country are beginning to reverse the dangerous legacy of 50 years of anti-pedestrian policies by retrofitting or building new roads as “complete streets” that are safer for walking and bicycling as well as motorists.
“Richmond’s new Downtown Master Plan makes pedestrian and bicycle safety an important priority, recommending redesigning streets for safer crossing and conversion of very high speed one-way streets to safer two-way streets,” said Schwartz. Elsewhere, communities are investing in roundabouts that slow speeds and improve pedestrian safety while maintaining good traffic flow. Examples include the roundabouts within the Belmont Bay development in Prince William County and those within Rocketts Landing in Henrico County.
“By investing in sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic calming including safer, narrower streets, we create better communities for everyone,” said Schwartz. Yet, under the current federal transportation bill, less than 1.5 percent of available funds are directed toward pedestrian safety, although pedestrians account for nearly 12 percent of all traffic deaths and 9 percent of total trips. Between 2007 and 2008, more than 700 children under the age of 15 were killed walking.
“Many members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation have signed on to transportation bills to strengthen pedestrian and bicycle safety and spending, but we would like to see 100% support,” said Schwartz.
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ABOUT THE COALITION FOR SMARTER GROWTH
The Coalition for Smarter Growth is a non-profit organization focused on ensuring that transportation and development accommodate growth while revitalizing communities, providing more housing and travel choices, and conserving our natural and historic areas. The Coalition works in the greater Washington, DC region and partners with groups across much of Virginia. www.smartergrowth.net
ABOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA (T4AMERICA)
Transportation for America is a broad coalition of housing, environmental, equal opportunity, public health, urban planning, transportation and other organizations focused on creating a 21st century national transportation program. The coalition’s goal is to build a modernized infrastructure and healthy communities where people can live, work and play by aligning national, state and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development. www.t4america.org
Seven organizations served on the steering committee for this report, working closely with T4 America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. These organizations include the American Public Health Association, AARP, Smart Growth America, America Bikes, America Walks, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and the National Complete Streets Coalition.
