This week on foot

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This week we learn The Awful Truth About the Transpo Bill’s Bike/Ped Loophole, and how it may reduce the amount of funding for bike and pedestrian projects nationwide. Fortunately, we can always take things into our own hands with DIY speed bumps: Traffic control for neighborhoods that don't rely on federal funding...

And we need it, since this week there was a Pedestrian fatally struck by car in West Los Angeles and a Big-rig kills pedestrian on LA area freeway. Yet at the same time a new Plan Calls for Wider Wilshire, Skinnier Sidewalks. Is LA still not understanding the importance of walkability?

If so, LA isn't the only one: in the Bay Area we learn this week about The opportunity that Apple is missing to build a better neighborhood, while Inadequate transit, sprawl cut off workers from jobs across the country and there's a big MassDOT Mistake: How Not to Rebuild Main Street.

But elsewhere things are looking more promising. As pedestrian accidents mount, Ocean City looks for answers, Greensboro police emphasize pedestrian safety and Bronx teenagers campaign for pedestrian safety, win neighborhood ‘slow zone’ from city for Mount Eden. While New Jersey's

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more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/09/4618596/big-rig-kills-pedestrian-on-la.html#storylink=cpy

2010 law to reduce pedestrian injuries sees mixed results, at least New sidewalk improves safety for pedestrians along Route 31 in the Flemington/Raritan area, and North Van walkabouts teach residents how healthy living is planned.

Which is important, because Health expert says children need more unsupervised play time--but for that to happen they need safe streets to play on, unlike in Covina where a Pedestrian struck by Metrolink train identified as 14-year-old Glendora boy.

Elsewhere in the world there's Another Sydney pedestrian run over, and they're worried about Big box social engineering in Calgary. In India we're reminded that Walking and cycling saves us lakhs per day and in Manila Realtor envisions a bolder Makati with better walkability.

Perhaps they can look to Oregon, where a New pedestrian and bicycle bridge across Interstate 5 opens Saturday in Southwest Portland. You never know. A Pedestrian bridge could be an 'iconic structure'.

Pedestrian Mall: Friend or Foe?

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Scott Donyon has a problem with pedestrian malls. As he writes on the Better! Cities & Towns blog:

The idea seemed solid. Give multiple downtown blocks over to pedestrians and, in the process, take on the new suburban malls with a compelling destination to draw crowds back downtown. Only, in most cases, it didn’t really work out that way.

Here’s why: The problem — at least the most visible one — was that we had relinquished our streets to the automobile, relegating all other users to second or third class status. We had taken the complexity of the public realm and dumbed it down into a single-use car sewer. Cars good, walking bad.

So how did we try to fix that? By doing the exact same thing, except in reverse. This time it was cars bad, walking good, which presents a similar set of problems because community doesn’t thrive in the all-or-nothing extremes of complexity reduction. Instead, the workable solutions tend to be the ones found in the messy middle ground, where culture and commerce intersect and competing interests are confronted and reconciled.

I agree that all-or-nothing approaches rarely work, but I don't believe the problem with pedestrian malls is eliminating vehicles per se. As this study from earlier in the year explains, walkable centers generally don't have a sufficient market within their pedestrian shed (the distance people will walk to get to the center) to support their businesses. Instead, they need to "import" customers from surrounding locations via transit, biking, or driving--modes that accommodate longer trips. A sustainable pedestrian mall will allow for these trips, even if it doesn't direct them straight through its core.

That's one reason that Estes Park is so ideally suited for a pedestrian-mall-type road closure: the parking lots that ring main street allow outsiders to drive to the downtown perimeter and park, then leave their vehicles behind and browse on foot. (And why is window-shopping on foot better than driving through a main street? It encourages impulse buys: you're much more likely to pause for an ice cream cone if you don't have to search for parking first.)

A Destination without a Destination Street

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We're back from a week in Estes Park, Colorado, and it turns out that it's true: you can take the girl out of the planning department, but you can't take the planner out of the girl. All week, every time we drove or walked down the city's main street (above), I felt an uncontrollable urge to call up the local town council and beg them to do a walk audit. As you can see above, while the city has made some effort to improve walkability by adding bulb-outs at key intersections and decorating the on-street parking with bricks, there's still a busy, four-lane road cutting through what is nominally the prime tourist street of a town with a tourism-based economy.

What's particularly absurd about this, is that the layout of the surrounding streets and parking have actually been designed to encourage drivers to either 1) bypass downtown Estes Park entirely by using a parallel side-street or 2) park in one of the many lots surrounding main street and walk into downtown. If the idea is to make Estes Park's main drag a "destination" for pedestrians to leisurely stroll along, window shopping and purchasing the occasional ice cream cone, why destroy the street's walkability by clinging blindly to the idea that vehicles must retain their dominance in the streetscape?

In fact, why even keep the street open to vehicles at all?

As I mentioned, the main street is surrounding by parking lots and paralleled by a bypass road for through traffic. There's really no reason I can see to keep main street open to vehicle traffic to all. At a minimum, imagine what the road might look like if it followed the model of Central City, Colorado:

Note the narrow, woonerf-style street that clearly tells pedestrians, "this is your space, we just let the cars borrow it now and then." Downtown Estes Park has a slew of great features for pedestrians (a riverwalk with pocket parks, human-scale buildings, street trees), but until the city gives up on the idea that all streets must prioritize vehicles, it's never going to be the great destination that it should be.

LA Walks Community Meeting

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Join Los Angeles Walks for a Community Meeting on July 10

Los Angeles Walks wants your feedback on expanding our current campaigns. Come by and let them know what you think would make walking in L.A. safer, easier, more convenient and more fun! Snacks and drinks provided.

July 10, 2012, 6:30-8:30pm
Downbeat Cafe (downstairs)
1202 North Alvarado St. (Just north of Sunset)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Agenda:

•    6:30 pm meet & greet
•    6:45 pm introduction to los angeles walks
•    7:00 pm dialog about 'how do you walk in la?'
•    8:15 pm wrap up and next steps

More info at the LA Walks website here.

This Week on Foot

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The big news is bad news this week, as we learn the Complete Streets Provision Eliminated From Final Transpo Bill. Yet even without the support of the feds, cities across the country are still working to implement Complete Streets projects, like in  Reno where they're looking for Public Input on Sutro Complete Street Project. Elsewhere Asheville's Charlotte Street could see pedestrian-friendly improvements, a Pedestrian plaza plan discussed in Rowlette, Texas, Shrewsbury Walkability Study Examines Sidewalks, Safety and the Santa Monica Pedestrian Action Plan To Make Sidewalks More Friendly.

Yet the federal government has some companions, like the Bikers rally against city's vote on Complete Streets. It seems kind of odd, given The Grave Health Risks of Unwalkable Communities. Shouldn't we want more  On the Road Again besides just cars?

Here in LA we've got plenty on the road--and the sidewalks too, like the Lighthearted street art delights (and confuses) downtown L.A. visitors. And those sidewalks will be getting some improvements, since Alarcon has $500,000 for sidewalks in the Valley. Even better, after one advocate shot a video to raised awareness of the problem, the LADOT promises that a Signalized Crosswalk Coming for Sunset and Vista . Of course, it wouldn't hurt to do some road dieting along Sunset also, since we know that Narrow lanes equal safer streets. From safety to where? Discussing the future of safe streets at a CNU talk can answer that question, but you'll have to check out this story to learn Which American cities are the healthiest?

Elsewhere in the world, Pedestrian bridge collapses in Lahore, one killed, while Pedestrian struck, killed by Metrolink train in San Fernando, and  Road death toll rises for the first time in a decade with worrying increase in cyclist and pedestrian fatalities. Good thing Cops set up sting to keep pedestrians safe, but can they prevent Distracted driving, changing culture leading to clashes between cars and pedestrians?

Back here in California, the 'No parking' model doesn't sell in Santa Monica, and we wonder Will Los Angeles Say Goodbye to LOS? If it does, maybe they'll send Greetings From Walkable, Bikeable, Transit-Oriented Asbury Park, N.J., where they're doing more than just changing CEQA standards to promote active transportation.

Finally this week, we learn about how Research Suggests Denser Development Is Good for Single-Family Home Values and consider Aging: A Collective Response, while we also contemplate All change – the future of travel. Hopefully it won't be a Big box boondoggle because some people out there care about Keeping the village way of life (aka the walkable one). 

Cool Ped Stuff #22: Energy-generating sidewalks

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This new technology from PaveGen harnesses the energy created by footsteps to generate electricity for nearby infrastructure. It's fun to dance on, but will it solve our energy problems? At least one life-cycle analysis of the technology raises some concerns, noting that it doesn't necessarily generate enough power to offset what it costs to ship and produce. Still, the idea has promise...and gives a whole new meaning to the term "people-powered travel."

Webinars This Week

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A Global Perspective: Lessons from International SRTS Programs
June 28 10:00 AM Pacific Time

First, Jacky Kennedy, Director of Canada Walks will introduce Canada's School Travel Planning Project. This program, originally tested in four provinces and disseminated to 120 schools in every part of Canada, created a detailed, step-by-step guide for building a comprehensive, community-based active school travel program.  

Next, Dr. Catherine O'Brien, who is working in partnership with the Canada Walks School Travel Planning Project, will discuss her fascinating research on "sustainable happiness." This concept links walking and biking to individual, community, and global well-being. It provides further compelling evidence of the benefits of walking and biking to school.

Finally, Gary Shipp, Schools, Children and Young People Co-Coordinator from Sustrans in the United Kingdom, will describe how his organization's approach is a community-centered one that builds on small steps to gradually change travel behavior. Sustrans' goal is to get the whole school community involved and motivated in the program so that sustainable and active travel becomes part of the culture of the community for future generations.

Register here.

Acting on The Weight of the Nation
June 28 12:30 PM Pacific Time

The web forum will highlight the key themes of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report, Accelerating Progress on Obesity Prevention, and provide methods you can use to help grow the movement for a healthier nation by mobilizing individuals, organizations, companies, and place-based partnerships everywhere. The web forum will prepare you to host screenings, events, and actions that can:

• Start new conversations in homes, neighborhoods, worksites, clinical settings, faith settings, and schools.
• Deepen existing conversations and actions – particularly within the movement of place-based
• Build a widespread constituency for targeted actions and environmental changes that support healthy living where we live, learn, work, play, worship, and vote.

HBO and the IOM, in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, launched The Weight of the Nation as a campaign to raise public awareness of the seriousness of the obesity epidemic. Over the course of three years, HBO worked with IOM and other researchers on the science and economics of obesity, talked to the country's leading experts on this issue, traveled nationwide to meet hundreds of Americans who are struggling with obesity, and examined the strategies that are being employed to create a healthier nation.

Register here.

This Week on Foot

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I hate to start the week with a real downer, but when I read about self-righteous drivers saying Pedestrians, use a sidewalk in OC, I just wanted to remind them about how a Pregnant pedestrian dies; her child delivered but critical (and also did not survive) when drivers have the attitude that they "own" the road. And since we're already on this sad topic, I'll share the story of how a Pedestrian dies in South L.A. after being hit by two vehicles, and Reckless Riders Spur Backlash across the country.

But enough bad news. We've also learned recently that a Bill Would Require A Pedestrian Access Route Separate From Vehicular Route in Missouri, and that Vancouver pedestrians get set to 'scramble' even as Vancouver eyes more bikes, buses, pedestrians in future. And other cities are getting set to improve the pedestrian environment also: the Hampton Park cycling/pedestrian lane approved by Charleston City Council, while Evanston Considers Speed Cameras Among New Pedestrian Safety Measures, More trees, storefronts, pedestrian-friendly vibe could be future of Montgomery's Madison Avenue and Hillsdale aims to be more walkable for people of all ages.

As you Keep an eye out for pedestrians in crosswalks, remember that one of the 10 Things That Make a Home a Good Home is walkability. Walkability also makes good transit, which is why a Walkability survey will help guide light-rail growth in the Twin Cities. But when we're Measuring community sustainability: how do we know if we're on the right path?

And since we're asking questions What If the Housing Bust Wasn’t a Game-Changer? And Is La Cañada Fat City? What's Making China Fat? We can answer some of those questions with this Analysis: Cities with more walkers, bike commuters are less obese. I guess we really should be Planning cities to beat obesity, and China's low-carbon city drive should pay attention to "sidewalk".

And if we need any advice on that subject, we can always talk to Neha Bhatt, D.C.'s pedestrian advocate, speaks on our walkability challenges.

Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/06/16/2890647/analysis-cities-with-more-walkers.html#storylink=cpy

Pedestrian Research

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The latest pedestrian research includes a few great pieces about kids and walking.

 Community Design and Policies for Free-Range Children: Creating Environments That Support Routine Physical Activity
Executive Summary: Growing concern over childhood obesity has prompted a focus on underlying epidemics of physical inactivity and poor nutrition. Regarding the former, there is increasing understanding that behavior change promotion alone has not increased population physical activity levels and that an ecological approach is necessary. Therefore, the public health profession has moved beyond traditional behavior change campaigns toward a growing focus on altering policies and the built environment to create settings that support increases in routine, not just exercise or leisure time, physical activity among children.

A survey of the literature suggests four broad factors that define settings where routine physical activity, especially active transportation, is more likely to occur:

• a compact variety of land uses, with a mix of destinations in close proximity;
• a comprehensive network of bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities;
• inviting and functional site designs for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users;
• safety and access for users of all ages, incomes, abilities and disabilities.

Although these principles are increasingly accepted as beneficial, not just to health but to a community’s economic, environmental, and social well-being, many contemporary ordinances and development practices undermine these outcomes. Therefore, five specific policy and intervention approaches are recommended to guide communities to these outcomes:

1. zoning and development policies to protect open space, contain sprawl, and focus investment toward thriving, mixed downtowns and village centers;
2. Complete Streets policies, which require roadways that are safe and functional for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, as well as motor vehicles;
3. a transportation- (not just recreation-) oriented trail network;
4. creation of bicycle- and transit-friendly infrastructure and incentive policies;
5. development of policy-based Safe Routes to School interventions.

This proposed intervention framework requires evaluation both of effectiveness in increasing childhood physical activity and of the most promising means of getting policies implemented.

Get Fit or Get Hit!
This research evaluates the role that fitness plays in childhood street crossing abilities. Previous studies show that increased physical activity and aerobic fitness during childhood are associated with superior brain health, and that children with higher aerobic fitness levels show improved academic achievement and cognitive abilities, coupled with larger brain structures and more efficient brain function.

LADOT Sees the Light

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At long last LADOT has removed the reference to the outdated Herms crosswalk study from its website. Is it a sign of things to come at the LADOT? Let's hope so.

The Importance of Personal Security

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Image courtesy of clutch magazine

I write a lot on this blog about pedestrian safety, but usually my focus is on how road design, crossing treatments, sidewalks, and technology can make it safer for pedestrians to navigate public streets. But this recent Streetsblog Post about harassment in public spaces, along with stories like this one of a young man killed in random gang-related shooting, have reminded me of the other half of pedestrian safety: personal security.

We can build the most walkable streets in the country, but if people are worried about crime and harassment (unfortunately, those two words aren't always synonymous) no one is going to use them. In many ways, this is a harder problem to fix than the infrastructure one. Given enough money (and political will), building streets that are physically safe for pedestrians becomes a relatively simple exercise in engineering. When it comes to personal security, we're faced with complex social problems that don't have easy solutions.

That's doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

As pedestrian advocates, we need to recognize that part of our job--our first job, really--is to create spaces where people feel secure walking. Toward that end, we must partner with people who are working to address this issue (police departments, gang prevention advocates, women's groups and others who fight against street harassment). Otherwise we run the risk of designing beautifully walkable--but empty--streets.

This week on foot

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This week we learn How Dogs Saved a Los Angeles Neighborhood, and that The Most Walkable Streets in San Francisco Aren’t Always the Ones You’d Think. We're told to Give the people what they want: A walkable city--or do they? Because also this week a 'Pedestrian place' decision postponed in Canada and Businesses Hope to Put Brakes on Proposed Pedestrian Plaza in New York due to concerns over (you guessed it) losing parking. At least outside the US they got the memo, as this week Bhutan introduces weekly 'pedestrian day'.  Although in Manila they don't seem to be quite as sympathetic, since they're telling citizens to Use footbridges and pedestrian lanes, or pay P200—MMDA

Meanwhile, the City's sidewalk situation is dire, public board tells Lansing City Council, and the Increasing road toll for elderly pedestrians provokes alarm. It shows why its so important to understand How walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods help seniors... and younger folks. Perhaps walkability have helped this situation where Pedestrian dies after being struck crossing Long Beach street, although some strongly believe that Distracted Pedestrians As Dangerous as Distracted Drivers

Elsewhere people we're wondering What is it with Canadian drivers and pedestrians? (And why can't Americans be the same way?), and Are the suburbs made for walking? Maybe An Atlas of Suburbanisms can help us figure it out. If not, we can always look to Brant Street in Burlington a Model for Walkable Streets for pointers.

More great walking webinars

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Health and Equity in Transportation: Promising Methods and Modes to Improve Health Outcomes

APHA will host a free webinar series on critical health and equity issues within the transportation sector. These three, 60-minute APHA webinars will explore the ties between public health and:

· Increased use of public transportation;

· Reduced injuries, particularly for children and young drivers;

· Reduced inequities from increased access to goods and services; and

· Other topics within transportation, such as updates on the federal surface transportation authorization.

We invite professionals in public health, transportation and other related sectors to participate in this new webinar series for 2012. Participants must register to join the webinar. NOTE: registration is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register here.

1: What Public Transit means for Public Health

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

2-3 pm EDT

Explore how public transit may impact health, via increased physical activity, improved air quality and reduced risk of injuries from crashes. Hear about health impact assessments (HIAs) that estimated how increased spending on public transportation and sustainable modes of transportation can both benefit health and reduce social inequities. Introductory remarks by APHA Associate Executive Director Susan Polan, and presentations by Tracy Buck, MS, RD, Nashville Metro Public Health and Brian Cole, DrPH, UCLA School of Public Health.

Making Pizza (and Pedestrians) Safer

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As I learned recently in this NPR story, Dominos pizza has taken a creative approach to improving the safety of its electric delivery scooters in the Netherlands. Concerned that the quiet vehicles might catch pedestrians unawares, with unfortunate results, the company added a quirky soundtrack to the motors. Annoying? Possibly, but at least they'll be hard for pedestrians to miss...

This Week on Foot

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This we everyone is talking about the latest research from the Brookings Institution showing what's Now Coveted: A Walkable, Convenient Place. In reaction there's this Op Ed on Walkability confirms the obvious and points to transportation expenses, this post on The economic value of walkability and transit, and this one about Urban walkability: the new driver in real estate values.

Meanwhile, the L.A. City Council wants no part of sidewalk repair cost proposed as part of AB 2231. Improvements to Oxnard street will come at a cost, and it's not just the price of repairs--but how much to we pay in health costs when we don't maintain walkable environments? We Can't Rely on Doctors Alone to Make the U.S. Healthier...

...or safer, and even though one person wonders Do pedestrians have a death wish? In Our take: Pedestrian safety matters. But does it matter to everyone? That's not so clear in Washington, D.C., where the Fate of Bike-Ped Compromise Still Unknown as House Reconvenes, or in California where Napa to Pedestrians: Drop Dead, or at Least Fall Down.

Fortunately in the Moreno Valley: Pedestrian safety campaign begins, and they're working on Reducing the risk of pedestrian death in Vancouver, while a 'Pedestrian hybrid beacon' lights up in Metropark and  Re-thinking traffic control for pedestrians in New Zealand.

Back here in my neighborhood, a Man gets life sentences for running over Woodland Hills pedestrian in 2009 chase, while further away Summertime Pedestrian Mall Heats Up Business In Little Italy and even further away Dubai residents get the boot into pedestrian footbridges.

Were you wondering How many people bicycle and walk in Missouri? The first definitive data EVER from MoDOT is available this week. And finally, for all you conspiracy theorists out there, an Opinion: Complete Streets conspiracy theorists should offer proof.

Upcoming Webinars

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June 5, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm EDT
Tools for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Exposure Analysis

Researchers at the UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research & Education Center (SafeTREC) will describe several tools that are available to evaluate pedestrian and bicycle safety.
            
David Ragland, Ph.D., will provide an overview of several initiatives to reduce pedestrian and bicycle crashes in California.  These efforts have produced tools and methodologies that have been used in California and could be applied in other communities outside of the state.
            
John Bigham, MPH, will discuss the Transportation Injury Mapping Tool (TIMS), an interactive website to query, map, and download collision data in California.  The presentation will include a live demonstration of TIMS to view maps of pedestrian and bicycle collision data and evaluate the benefit-cost of constructing different safety countermeasures.
            
Robert Schneider, Ph.D., will present the final topic, estimating exposure for pedestrian and bicycle crash risk analysis.  This will include an overview of the importance of exposure data, different methods of estimating pedestrian and bicycle volume data, and recent volume modeling efforts in Alamdea County and San Francisco, California.

Register here.

June 7, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
Federal Funding 201 - How Safe Routes to School Projects Actually Get Built: An Overview of Obligation and Obligation Authority/Limitations
        
Federal Funding 101 covered the basics of the complex federal funding process. On June 7, 2012, we will discuss the final phase of federal funding, obligation. Obligation is the final stage of the federal regulatory process; once a project or program is obligated, it is ready to begin, but not before. It can take a long time to get Safe Routes to School and Transportation Enhancements projects and programs to this point: learn how the process works, and what you can do to help your state program and local applicants to get through this complex process. And learn about obligation authority/limitations, or how and why some of the federal funds may not even be made available to communities in your state. Find out the answers to these and other questions, and ask your own!

Speakers:
Darren Flusche, policy director, League of American Bicyclists, Advocacy Advance program
Robert Ping, technical assistance director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Dawn Foster, SRTS coordinator, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans )

Register here.

June 14, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Slowing Drivers down: Why It Matters and Two Communities' Solutions

Presenters: Scott Bricker, Executive Director, America Walks
Elizabeth Stampe, Director, Walk San Francisco
Mark Lear, Traffic Safety Programs, Portland Bureau of Transportation

Traffic safety, especially the speed of cars around schools, is one of the biggest barriers to walking and biking to school reported by parents. Reducing the speed of traffic around schools is a good step to make routes to school safer and encourage families to walk and bike. This webinar highlights strategies used by two communities to successfully slow vehicle speeds around schools.

Scott Bricker, Executive Director of America Walks, will review relevant research around speed and pedestrian and bicyclist safety and provide a general overview of steps your community can take to slow vehicle speeds around schools. Then, Elizabeth Stampe, from Walk San Francisco, will discuss how Walk San Francisco worked with the City’s transportation department to enforce an existing state law and helped to reduce speed limits around 181 schools. Finally, Mark Lear, from the Portland Bureau of Transportation, will describe the City’s development of a “neighborhood greenways” network with speed limits of 20 MPH. He’ll present some basic design elements of Portland’s greenways and discuss how they built a diverse community coalition to achieve their goals.

Register here.

Nope, it's not.

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Maybe it's time to plant a few more street trees in Woodland Hills?

Will AB 2231 have unintended consequences for sidewalks?

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Assembly Bill 2231, introduced by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes, shifts responsibility for sidewalk repairs from adjacent property owners to local jurisdictions. The bill is touted by groups such as the California Association of Realtors because it "rightfully stops local governments from shirking responsibility for these sidewalks and protects property owners from huge repair and legal costs for damages they did not produce."

That might be good for homeowners, but is it good for sidewalks? The bill imposes a state-mandated local program, which means that ultimately the State could be responsible for paying sidewalk repair costs if the Commission on State Mandates determines the costs are reimbursable. Given the state of California's budget, that possibility is uncertain at best, meaning local jurisdictions would likely have to pay for repairs.

Great! you say -- one way or the other, we'll finally get some much-needed sidewalk fixes. Don't be so sure. At least one city says it would remove its sidewalks rather than bankrupt itself trying to repair them. There's also the risk that jurisdictions would decide to cut down shade trees that threaten to cause sidewalk damage (or maybe just make it a policy not to plant them). Given this, it's no surprise groups like the League of California Cities and California Association of Counties oppose the bill (although the reason they give for doing so is a little discouraging: "It is difficult to justify repairing a sidewalk for a homeowner in a residential neighborhood instead of filling potholes on a thoroughfare that serves as a primary route for the movement of people and goods…").  

I don't fault Fuentes for wanting cities to take responsibility for sidewalk repair. Though it's clearly not the reason he's sponsored the bill (he's more interested in scoring points with homeowners worried about liability than in ensuring pedestrian connectivity), it galls me when cities argue they have a mandate to maintain the traveled way for vehicles--but not pedestrians. Still, I believe there is a real risk that AB 2231, if passed, could lead to fewer sidewalks. Until the bill is changed to address that problem, it's not one I believe pedestrian advocates should support.

This Week on Foot

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We're visiting Seattle this week, where the City Council rejects mayor's plan for more stores in neighborhoods due in part to concerns over too much walkability. As one person said during public testimony (to loud applause), "We don't need more walkability in our neighborhood." Is there such a thing a too much walkability, or are the problems with the mayor's proposal more nuanced (e.g. a perception that they favor new development over existing retailers)?

It does seem like an odd complaint, given that everywhere else they're jumping on the walkability band...sneakers? This week we learned about Microcities: The Rise of the Mini Home and the Walkable Neighborhood, found out that Home Prices In ‘Resilient Walkable’ Communities See Strongest Recovery, and discovered that Now Coveted: A Walkable, Convenient Place. Even the Military rethinks base planning for energy efficiency, walkability.

And it's not to soon, because it's been a dangerous week out there for pedestrians, with a Pedestrian struck by Metrolink train in Anaheim and a 101-year-old pedestrian killed by 91-year-old driver in Burbank. Fortunately Volvo introduces pedestrian airbarg in 2013 V40 model, and Safe Kids Receives $25,000 To Improve Pedestrian Safety. There even a new Campaign tackles pedestrian deaths on Northern Ireland roads.

Meanwhile, closer to home we're wondering How many agencies does it take to make a better LA street? Already Hollywood's EaCa Alley Already Action-Packed, without a ton of agencies dipping their feet in the water. Elsewhere in the country Central Maui Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan to be Unveiled, there's a A second act for the walkable neighborhood in D.C., and the Walkability - Coalition submits suggestions on approving walking areas in Estherville.

Finally this week, we learn about Gas and Cigarettes and Addiction Funding--and how it might not be a great idea to depend on them to fix our walkability problems.

Driverless cars will save the world!

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Photo courtesy of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles

Okay, I don't really think that.

But I do think they deserve more than a knee-jerk, negative reaction (see discussion here and here). Pedestrians (and planners, for that matter) tend to think of the car as their natural enemy, and it's true the car causes a lot of problems--for everyone, not just those who travel on foot. Does that mean we should reject any change in the technology that might continue to perpetuate an auto-centric world? Let's consider the costs of cars and private vehicle travel, and see what robo-cars might do to change them.

1. Public Health
According to CDC data about 30,000 Americans are killed in traffic crashes each year, at a cost of $41 billion. If that sounds discouraging, consider that over 90 percent of traffic deaths and injuries take place outside the US, killing 1.3 million people annually and injuring another 20 to 50 million. I probably don't have to tell you that pedestrians are disproportionately represented in those deaths and injuries, right?

Driverless cars might not eliminate this problem entirely (the laws of physics still apply if someone darts in front of a car), but they have the potential to seriously decrease deaths and injuries from crashes. Imagine no more distracted driving, drunk driving, speeding, red-light running--or people cutting you off on the freeway. For me, this alone is reason enough to support further investigation into driverless technology.

There are other health consequences from driving, of course. Air pollution from vehicles contributes to high asthma and cancer rates, particularly in neighborhoods near freeways. Driverless cars may have a small impact on this by reducing congestion, but the real benefits from pollution reduction will come from other technologies. And by making it easier to drive, robo-cars might contribute to the ongoing obesity problem in our country (and elsewhere). We shouldn't ignore their potential to create a new kind of lazy (car-potato?), but I'm not convinced the obesity epidemic, with its myriad causes and solutions, is reason enough to reject robo-cars outright.

2. Congestion
Congestion costs Americans over $100 billion per year (not including associated health costs). As transportation experts have said for years, the best solution is well within our reach -- if only we could find the political will to implement it. Until then we hunt for the second-best options, and driverless cars are one of them. They would remove most of the delays caused by crashes, and allow vehicles to travel faster and more smoothly.

However, let's be clear: driverless cars would not solve the fundamental problem of congestion (namely, lots of people trying to get the same place at the same time on the same route). They have the potential to ease congestion by improving roadway efficiency, but they won't eliminate it entirely.

This week on foot

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 Photo courtesy of Comox Valley Record

This week has been full of debate over driverless cars. Oops — wrong future! says Google-Funded Pundit: Forget Transit, the Future Belongs to Robocars. But Driverless cars don't change geometry.

On the other hand, students might--like South Brunswick High School Students Seek Sidewalk. And it's a good thing, because this week we learned why Why Seniors, Children, and the Poor Are at Greater Risk of Traffic Deaths, which may explain why Some Comox Valley elementary students get aboard 'walking bus' to stay safe during their walk to school.

Elsewhere in the country Five Points Officials Looking to Make Area Safer to Walk as well, while King County's 'Complete Streets' Hopes To Reverse Health Effects Of Sprawl, Washington-DC Area Planning Board Approves Complete Streets Policy and Essex County Complete Streets Policy Adopted.

But it's not Complete Streets for everyone. Is the world's fastest pedestrian signal in downtown Muncie? I can't say, but I do know a "Diverging diamond" doesn't help make a walkable corridor. And those walkable corridors are important, since New housing forecast mostly good for walkable communities.

And while we're talking about walkability, don't forget that Parks should be pedestrian friendly. So should bridges, like the Pedestrian bridge dedicated to long-time trail leader in Maine. And maybe even...Vegas? I guess it's one of those Walkable Places Where Glitz Is King.

But cars are king in Kenya: Mwau's Car Knocks Pedestrian to Death, reminding us that the question of walking vs. driving is also one of who has the power.

Finally this week, in California the Senate OKs bill to increase fines for cell phone use while driving-- but across the country they've taken the opposite approach: Texting while walking banned in N.J. town.  

Big Parade This Weekend

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Not only do you get to explore LA on foot, you get to do it with a bunch of other people who love to walk in LA! Walks take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Get the details here.

2011 LA Bike and Pedestrian Count Results

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They claim no one walks in LA, but the results of the LA County Bike Coalition's newly-released
2011 City of Los Angeles Bicycle and Pedestrian Count suggest otherwise. Counts at just 33 intersections show about 20,000 peak period walkers. Pretty impressive for a city supposedly in love with the car.

Although the report (understandably) focuses primarily on bike travel, it does at least provide some good base data for pedestrian travel in Los Angeles. Hopefully as Los Angeles Walks ramps ups its advocacy efforts, we'll see additional analysis for pedestrians (suggestion for next year: conducting counts during the hours of peak vehicle travel could mean we're missing some of the story about peak pedestrian and bike travel--especially since the counts don't cover the walk-from-school hours). I was particularly interested to see that in many cases the LA counts were higher than those in the US Census journey to work data, suggesting an underreporting of bike and pedestrian travel in the Census. This underscores the importance of devoting more resources to researching pedestrian and bicycle travel--without good data, we're more likely to sell ourselves short (or Congress might).

Like Where the Sidewalk Starts on Facebook!

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Where the Sidewalk Starts likes you--and now you can like Where the Sidewalk Starts. The blog has a new Facebook fan page to go along with its great new design! Check out the page to read all the latest posts, as well as other fun stuff about pedestrians and walkability.

This week on foot

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This week an Advocacy group says public supports federal funding for bikes, pedestrians, and according to the FHWA: Small Investments in Bike/Ped Infrastructure Can Pay Off in a Big Way. So why are we still dealing with the Buckled sidewalks emblematic of city government's failure?

Meanwhile, Three pedestrian deaths elicit varied reactions in San Francisco. Maybe they should look to Florida, where in South Beaches: Flags help with pedestrian crossings, or further north, where Chicago unveils wide-ranging transportation plan that features 20 mph speed limits in Chicago and increased crossing times for pedestrians. 

Outside the US, other cities are also getting innovative with their planning efforts, like in Canada where Calgary abandons cul-de-sac design. Elsewhere in Canada, we learn Most pedestrian-involved crashes caused by turning vehicles.  But another study shows that Sleepy teen pedestrians more likely to get hit. And it's not just lack of sleep that's dangerous for pedestrians. Cuba warns of rising rail danger, faster trains, and here in the US FRA Guidance on Pedestrian Safety Still Misses the Real Problem.  

With all this focus on pedestrian safety and walkability, it seems odd that WeHo Tables Sat. Night, Pedestrian-Only Robertson Blvd. Plan. After all, Walkable neighbourhoods: Key to Hamilton's creative industries--why not LA's industries too? Maybe it's just beacuse Downtown ranked the 'most walkable neighborhood in Los Angeles' and WeHo is jealous?

Finally, New Urbanism Needs a Re-Boot according to one speaker at this week's Congress for New Urbanism. Perhaps it should focus on the Pub shed: Mapping your five minute stumble distance might get people interested in walkability, right?

Free Webinar - Lessons from SRTS Award Winners

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May 22 - 10:00 AM PST

One of the best ways to build a SRTS Program is to take a page from a winning playbook. Each year, the National Center for Safe Routes to School has the privilege of recognizing one Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program in the country for outstanding achievement in promoting safe walking and bicycling to school. This year - a first in the history of the James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award - two schools will receive this national honor: Heatherwood Elementary School in Boulder, Colo., and Omro Middle School in Omro, Wis. In this sixty minute webinar you will have the opportunity to learn from these award winning programs.

Register here.

May SRTS conference call

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All are welcome and invited to join this month's call.

Details:
Thursday, May 10th from 9-10 am
Conference Call Number: 866-394-4146
Guest Code: 878934528#

Lots of good stuff on the agenda, including:
SCAG RTP/SCS Update and Next Steps (5 mins)

• Next Steps – lessons learned, going from here. Developing our SoCal SRTSNP Network Regional Platform 2.0

Regional Planning Spotlight

• Orange County Regional Bikeways Planning with Carolyn Mamaradlo, Associate Transportation Analyst, Transit & Non-motorized Planning, Orange County Transportation Association

Get the full agenda here.

Complete Streets Abu Dhabi

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Lest you think the US and Europe have the monopoly on Complete Streets, take a look at this Urban Street Design Manual from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Aside from noting that with enough money from oil and gas production, your planning department can have a pretty snazzy website, I was fascinated by a number of small (but significant) policies that marked this design manual as unique to its city, such as:

A sikka in Abu Dhabi

• A whole section devoted to techniques for shading sidewalks
• The use of sikkas (narrow pedestrian pathways found in new and historic neighborhoods)
• An emphasis on creating spaces that allow privacy and security for women
• The incorporation of ablution sinks into the street furniture (and reuse of their water for landscape irrigation) 

This highlights something important about complete streets: they're not just about building sidewalks, they're about building community identity. Streets should reflect and encourage the character of the neighborhood  they are located within. That means more than just adding some pretty street furniture, or "branding" the community with special signage. There are real cultural differences in the way different communities use streets. For example, in South and Central American countries (and many Latino neighborhoods in the US),  streets function as a sort of extended front yard where a diversity of activities (vending, socializing) take place. They have a different place in the culture of the community than you might find in, say, a neighborhood in Woodland Hills. (For more info, see James Rojas discussion of Latino Urbanism here.)

True complete streets should be designed to take into account the way a particular culture uses its roadways, including spaces and features that will complement the history and demographics of a particular neighborhood. A roadway in a area with an aging population, for instance, might include a particular focus on universal design. Space for street vending or small-scale businesses might be more important in some commercial areas than room for cafe seating. As we move towards more function-driven street design, we should consider not just the generic purpose of a roadway (commercial-serving, residential neighborhood, bicycle corridor), but also the specific desires and needs of its users.

Walk with Jane this Weekend

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Photo courtesy of Jane Jacobs Walk

Or at least, with her spirit. This weekend planning aficionados across the country hold walks in honor of Jane Jacobs,  author, activist, coiner of the phrase "eyes on the street" and generally planner extraordinaire. Find out more about walks in your area at this link, or this one.

Payback for Promoting Walkability

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As detailed in this recent story from the Daily News, the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce plans to drop the Woodland Hills Homeowners Association from its membership because the homeowners have filed a suit over the recently-approved Village at Topanga here in Woodland Hills. The homeowners are concerned about the project's lack of walkability, saying the project violates the Warner Center Specific Plan because it encourages car use, and that potentially significant project impacts weren't considered in the project's environmental impact report. They are particulary concerned that the anchor store--a Costco--will do little to promote alternative transportation use.

But Chamber of Commerce representatives argue that, "This is in direct conflict with what the chamber stands for...We want this development for our community." Maybe the Chamber hasn't read the studies showing walkability is good for business?

While I agree that pretty much anything is better than the empty parking lot that covers the site right now, I find this kind of petty retaliation for legitimate concerns over project design discouraging....almost as discouraging as our Councilmember's feigned bewilderment over why anyone wouldn't want an auto-oriented development in their neighborhood.

Free Webinar - Federal Funding 101

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May 3, 11:00 AM

Join the SRTS Partnership for an overview of the basic federal funding process for walking and bicycling and Safe Routes to School.

Transportation funding can be a complex and confusing process, from applying for money and completing paperwork and forms, to the ‘obligation’ process which can take years to complete. Understanding these systems can help you to better navigate and advocate for federal funds that can increase bicycling and walking.

Have you wondered how the mysterious federal transportation funding process works?
Do you want to learn techniques to successfully apply for federal Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements and other funding through your state department of transportation?
Are you curious about how the new federal transportation bill may end up and what that may mean for you?

Find out the answers to these and other questions, and ask your own! Register here.

Are Bike and Pedestrian Committees Boys' Clubs?

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Photo courtesy of www.oldbike.eu

A new study from the Mineta Transportation Institute, An Examination of Women's Representation and Participation in Bicycle Advisory Committees in California, paints a disappointing picture of the role women play--or don't play--in the development of bicycle and pedestrian policy in our state. In a review of 42 government-formed bicycle and bicycle/pedestrian advisory committees throughout California, authors Hilary Nixon and Cathy DeLuca found that women made up only about 19 percent of members on all bicycle advisory committees and 24 percent of members on all bicycle/pedestrian committees. Further, women were the majority on only three committees.

This matters, because women's travel is different than men's. Women do more "trip-chaining" (linking a trip to work with a trip to school with a trip to the grocery store), take more shopping trips, and carry more associated baggage--and children--when they travel than men. Issues surrounding safety and security play a different role in the travel of women than men. Where a man might think nothing of walking down a dimly-lit street or an empty alley, a woman might change her route to avoid them--or choose not to walk at all. This isn't to say men never face danger on the street, but they're less likely to change their travel patterns because of it.

When women's voices aren't part of the dialogue about bicycle and pedestrian policy, the particular challenges that female cyclists and walkers face might never come up. This can lead to transportation systems that don't "work" for the women who rely on them.

In interviews with committee members, the authors attempted to understand the cause of the gender disparity on bike and pedestrian committees. Many of the interviewees cited the "male-dominated nature" of the committees as part of the problem. Not only did it discourage women from joining committees, it made them hesitant to voice their opinions or engage fully in policy discussions.

"When the other members of the committee laughed at bicyclists who were afraid of riding on [a certain road], in an area that terrifies me, I was sure I didn’t belong there."