This Week on Foot

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This week I returned to all sorts of gloomy news on the local pedestrian front. First a Train kills pedestrian near Fairview Avenue in Goleta. Then there was a Pedestrian Struck And Killed Near 105 Freeway Offramp, a Pedestrian, 93, dies after San Carlos collision, and a Pedestrian dies after being hit by car in Irvine.

Sheesh! Thank goodness the President Signs Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act to require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to evaluate how much sound that must be made by electric and hybrid vehicles to ensure pedestrian safety. Of course, some people persist in blaming the pedestrians, not the vehicles, for our many pedestrian safety problems. They claim that Pedestrians take too many risky chances . Hmm, you mean like crossing the street?

Elsewhere in the world things aren't looking so bright either. Our friends in India complain that Pedestrians’ safety is low priority in Pune, and in England a Skate park set to get go-ahead despite pedestrian reservations. Perhaps these problems are the reason Baku starts raids to prevent pedestrian rundown accidents.

But despite the many obstacles pedestrians face, there's still reason to get walking. As one recent study points out, The Faster you Walk, the Longer you Live. And if that's not motivation enough, a new device promises to let you Walk to charge your cellphone. See, walking just became even more energy efficient.