Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge

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I'd like to encourage all the bikers out there to join Clif Bar's second annual 2 Mile Challenge. Participants join an organization's "team" and log their bike miles, earning points for their team. At the end of the competition in October, the organizations earn grants based on their team members' mileage. Even though the challenge part of this event focuses on biking, two of the beneficiaries (the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership) work on pedestrian issues as well--so if you're a pedaler as well as a ped, pick your favorite advocacy organization and start riding.

Pedestrian Research Rundown

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Hmm, perhaps that wasn't the best choice of titles for a pedestrian blog. At any rate, here's a summary of some of the latest in pedestrian research, for the academically (or not-so-academically) inclined:

Cost-Driven Injury Prevention: Creating an Innovative Plan to Save Lives With Limited Resources
Pedestrian injury costs $20 billion annually. Countermeasures such as blinking crosswalks can be expensive, but expectedly vital to injury prevention efforts. In this study, the researchers aimed to create a new framework of cost-driven surveillance using a detailed analysis of hospital costs and their relationship to location of pedestrian injury. Targeting identified “high cost areas” with effective countermeasures could save lives and be most cost-effective.

The researchers conducted an analysis of billing records of 694 auto versus pedestrian victims treated in San Francisco in 2004. Ninety percent of victims resided in San Francisco, and of 11 city districts, three districts accounted for almost 50% of the total cost.The total cost of injury was $9.8 million, 76 percent of which was publicly funded. Thirty-one percent of victims were admitted, and cost of their care accounted for 76% of the total cost.

Conclusions: These findings provide a roadmap to target costly hot spots for preventive countermeasures. In a climate of limited resources, this kind of roadmap highlights the areas that could most benefit from countermeasures from both an injury prevention and cost-containment standpoint. Cost-driven surveillance is useful in city strategic planning for cost-effective and life-saving pedestrian injury prevention.

Evaluation of Lane Reduction "Road Diet" Measures on Crashes
While potential crash-related benefits are cited by road diet advocates, there has been limited research concerning such benefits. This brief from the the FHWA summarizes a recent reanalysis of studies in Washington, California, and Iowa to compile crash data and gain a better understanding of the impact that road diets can have on crash rates.

America Walks Wants Your Opinion

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America Walks has created a survey to help gather better information about walking habits throughout the country. The survey is open until June 3--but why not do it now? Here are all the details from America Walks:

Help America Walks and its partner organizations learn more about who walks, and why we walk. This survey will take only 5 minutes to complete and results are anonymous.

The National Walking Survey will help walking advocates understand what motivates avid walkers and what prevents others from walking more. The difference between those who are "avid walkers" and the more "reluctant walkers" is not well studied. How effective is encouragement from relatives, health professionals, employers, others? What can we learn about the messages that actually get someone afoot and those that don't? When someone has a choice of walking or not, is a dog or human companion the motivator to take the trip on foot? How crucial are factors like destinations within walking distance, pleasant and safe surroundings? Or is the difference between those who walk more and less a matter of available time or other demographics? The National Walking Survey is a start in answering these crucial questions. Take the survey; share the National Walking Survey!

When the data is analyzed, America Walks will publish what we've learned so all walking advocates can be more targeted in their work to promote walking in America.

This Week on Foot

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It's been quite the positive week here in the world of walking, with lots of new projects and plans to address some of our most challenging pedestrian problems. Starting here in the Southern California region, a New Livable Streets Group Rises in Alhambra, in ENCINITAS: Pedestrian rail tunnel plans OK'd and nearby a New fence beautifies Chollas Creek, enhances walkability.

Meanwhile in Santa Monica they're trying to address pedestrian Safety at farmers market: Heavy-duty nets to protect pedestrians at Santa Monica Farmers Market, and Construction to Begin on Pedestrian-Friendly Alley in Hollywood.

Further north, a Bay Area Plan Would Turn Fisherman's Wharf Into a Pedestrian's Paradise, and in San Jose the New Bethel Island Bridge Wider, More Pedestrian Friendly, while in Sacramento Congresswoman Matsui Introduces Safe and Complete Streets Legislation .

Elsewhere in the country, South Portland wants pedestrian freeway crossing in urban renewal plan (good timing, since this week the Oregon Senate OKs pedestrian safety bill but first debates the Beatles and pork chops). And Oregon isn't the only place thinking about pedestrian design. AARP Vermont commits $30,000 to fund community design work, and in the DC area Operation Safe Streets cracks down on county drivers. (And a good thing they are, because we're reminded this week of the constant danger pedestrians face by the sad story of a 6-year-old girl killed in South L.A. hit-and-run; driver sought ). Overall, it's clear that US Mayors Want More Bicycle and Pedestrian Investments, as does everyone else in the country.

And it's not just the US that's contemplating ped problems this week. In Australia a Safety message goes out to pedestrians, while in the UK a New system blamed as two pedestrians hit within days--making it all the more important that The Libertarian School of Street Design Takes London. Finally, as we learn from this piece in the India Journal: Jaywalking, It's a Menace...Seriously. Hmm. Guess they didn't get the memo yet in India that streets are for people, not just cars...

Jane's Walk This Weekend

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Jane's Walk is a series of free neighborhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. Unfortunately, Los Angeles is not hosting a walk this year--but if you live in one of these apparently-much-more-awesome cities, you too can invoke the spirit of Jane Jacob while getting to know your city better on foot.

Click on the name of the city for more info:

Anchorage, AK
Austin, TX
Baton Rouge, LA
Brunswick, ME
Boston, MA
Chattanooga, TN
Heber Valley, UT
Houston, TX
Jackson, MS
Kansas City, MO
Mesa, AZ
New York City, NY
New Orleans, LA
Oakland, CAOrange, NJPhiladelphia, PA
Phoenix, AZ
Sacramento, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
San Francisco, CA
Santa Fe, NM
Scranton, PA
Tempe, AZ
Waterbury, CT