This Week on Foot

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This week is full of the *shocking* news that walking is dangerous! There's a City study: Chicago pedestrians in crosswalks are in cross hairs, while On Wide Florida Roads, Running for Dear Life. Here in California, Accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists escalate, Alameda police say, and a Woman Dies One Month After Being Hit By Cyclist In San Francisco.

That last story leads to some debate over the relationship between cyclists and pedestrians. If You Want Real Bike Lanes...you need to consider both pedestrians and cyclists (as well as any other users), and make the lanes safe for all. Of course, some just think that Awkward, These Pedestrian Wars Are.

Perhaps so, but they can also be lucrative--at least for one B.C. pedestrian hit in crosswalk awarded $1.1 million (finally, some justice in the pedestrian world!). Perhaps we need more settlements like this, to underscore the financial dangers of ignoring pedestrians' needs. 

Fortunately, many jurisdictions are being proactive about the issue. In North Bend Oregon, they're Creating safer roads for pedestrians to cross , while North Myrtle Beach taking action to make sure pedestrians stay safe, and across the globe Belfast pedestrian access to be prioritised. Closer to home there are Flags Up for Pedestrian Safety in Santa Barbara, San Carlos to spend $2.7 to improve pedestrian and bike safety in town's east side, and Sunset Magazine Breaks Ground On the Sunset Smart Homes, Silicon Valley's Greenest Mixed-Use Development (with a focus on walkability).

Meanwhile, in Florida we note that Rural areas' lack of sidewalks fuel obesity. But in Minneapolis they're wondering, Is walking really exercise?

Hopefully so, since NY Gov Will Sign Complete Streets Law this week, and in Lake Charles, Louisiana More McNeese students taking advantage of new crosswalks. All things to consider when we're Planning the future of cities.

Oh, and if you'd like to get involved in that planning? Volunteers needed for annual count of bicyclists and pedestrians in Washington next month.

Of strollers and sidewalks

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It's a truth almost too obvious to mention that walking with a baby changes your perspective on the pedestrian environment, but I'm going to mention it anyway because it allows me to rant afresh about a problem that affects more than just new baby owners.

Exhibit A: the sidewalk in our neighborhood (see above). Note, I use the term side-"walk" here loosely, as nothing about this crumpled thread of concrete is actually conducive to walking. In fact, until three weeks ago I ignored this mess entirely, sticking instead to the smooth path of asphalt beside it.

And then...enter baby. Suddenly, I'm not so pleased about being forced to share a roadbed with several tons of lethal vehicle. Granted, the on-street parking, narrow roadways, and low traffic volumes make sharing the road a mostly-reasonable proposition in my community. But honestly, if we're going to have sidewalks that are so narrow and poorly maintained that they aren't even usable, why even have them at all? Wouldn't it be a better idea to just tear them out, and instead have a slightly wider shared roadway that a pedestrian with a stroller (or in a wheelchair, or with a cane) might actually be able to use?

It's this unceasing bias against infrastructure for pedestrians, and in favor of that for vehicles, that makes me angry as a pedestrian advocate. This situation would never be tolerated if we were talking about vehicle lanes. Can you imagine the outcry if Los Angeles let its roads deteriorate to the point that they weren't usable in much of the city? In fact, the City's Operation Pothole was instituted to avoid just such a scenario. Yet the City continues to find reasons not to fix its sidewalks (or more precisely, not to force responsible property owners to do so).

What I'd like to know is, where is our Operation Sidewalk?

Demand a Pardon for Raquel Nelson

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Okay, I'm dipping a toe back into the world of blogging for just one quick moment, because I feel so passionately about this story and want to spread the word as much as possible. I hope you'll forgive me if I blatantly copy info from our friends at Transportation for America, rather than coming up with my own:

Raquel Nelson, a metro Atlanta mother, was crossing the street from a bus stop to her apartment complex with her three children after a long trip that included an hour plus wait between buses. Along with a handful of fellow passengers headed to the apartment complex, she unsurprisingly chose to cross the street at the bus stop rather than walk more than half a mile in the dark to the nearest traffic signal and back with her tired children.

They were struck by a hit-and-run driver, killing her youngest son.

Then the unbelievable happened: Cobb County charged this grieving mother, who did not even own a car at the time, with vehicular homicide and other charges, carrying a potential sentence of 36 months in jail. A jury of six – none of whom had ever taken a local bus – convicted her July 12. The judge sentenced her to 12 months’ probation, community service, and the burden of paying court costs. In the face of widespread outcry, she also offered her the option of a retrial, and Nelson intends to exercise that right to clear her name.

But we think she should never have been charged in the first place.

Please consider signing Transportation for America's petition to the Georgia Governor and the Cobb County Solicitor General requesting her immediate pardon or refusal to prosecute her again in a new trial.

You can find additional information about the case on the Transportatino for America blog here.

Where the Sidewalk Starts Puts its Feet Up

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Where the Sidewalk Starts will be taking a brief hiatus as we welcome a new pedestrian into our family. If you're looking for something to read in the meantime, check out the Best of the Blog or one of the many fascinating posts from our friends on the blogroll.


Happy walking!

Upcoming Walking Events

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July 27
PBIC Webinar: Funding Issues
12:00-1:30 PT

In the final presentation of the Pedestrian SafetyAction Plan Webinar series, instructors will address the critical issueof funding programs, projects and plan recommendations. Specifically,the presentation will discuss how pedestrian considerations can beroutinely included and funded in transportation projects and throughannual maintenance budgets. Information will also be presented onvarious Federal, State, local and private sector funding sources. By theend of the presentation, participants will be able to describe how toidentify funding sources for the development and implementation of theirpedestrian safety action plans.

Register online here.

August 19
Active Living Research Conference
Call for Abstracts

Active Living Research invites abstracts to be considered for presentation at the 2012 Annual Conference on March 12-14, 2012 in San Diego, CA. The theme of the 2012 conference, Disparities in Environments and Policies that Support Active Living, recognizes the importance of engaging experts from multiple disciplines to address the inequities seen in many communities throughout the nation where childhood obesity and inactivity are the highest. Abstracts are due no later than 4:00 pm on August 19.

Additional information available online here.

October 24-27
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
2011 Professional Development Seminar

APBP’s Professional Development Seminar is a biennial conference distinguished by in-depth seminars and a collegial atmosphere where participants network, share knowledge, and learn to propel policy into practice. Attend this conference for cutting edge training and the newest, best information to advance your work and your career. PDS 2011 takes place in Charlotte, N.C., a living laboratory for Complete Streets implementation. The conference will offer three classroom training tracks:

• Complete Streets Design and Implementation
• New Guidelines, Research and Standards
• Livability and Economic Development.

Additional information available online here.