The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) has announced the its 2011 Walk Friendly Communities, and I'm pleased to see that my hometown of Seattle tops the list as the only city with a "Platinum" designation. The new program, sponsored by the PBIC, the Federal Highway Administration, and FedEx, recognizes communities that stand out in their commitment to pedestrian safety, access, and comfort. According to program manager Carl Sundstron, "The WFC designation recognizes communities that help set the bar in fostering and accommodating walking." Here's the full list of designees:
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
A new twist on the marked crosswalk debate
You run across some odd stuff when you're wandering around the internet in search of pedestrian info. Take this Special Report from Project Consumer Justice, a site that describes it's purpose as to "honestly report on consumer, legal and political issues important to the American civil justice system."
The article details a $12 million settlement in a San Mateo lawsuit over a ped-vehicle crash that left a 17-year-old woman in a permanent vegetative state. The victim was struck while crossing at a marked crosswalk on a six-lane roadway. During the trial, lawyers for the victim cited Caltrans "dirty little secret" about "when marked crosswalks can be more dangerous for pedestrians." As evidence, they pointed to the infamous 1972 Herms Crosswalk Study, explaining how it proved that marked crosswalks gave pedestrians a "false sense of security."
The article details a $12 million settlement in a San Mateo lawsuit over a ped-vehicle crash that left a 17-year-old woman in a permanent vegetative state. The victim was struck while crossing at a marked crosswalk on a six-lane roadway. During the trial, lawyers for the victim cited Caltrans "dirty little secret" about "when marked crosswalks can be more dangerous for pedestrians." As evidence, they pointed to the infamous 1972 Herms Crosswalk Study, explaining how it proved that marked crosswalks gave pedestrians a "false sense of security."
Saturday, April 23, 2011
One more walking event
On May 13, the American Planning Association's California Planning Foundation will be offering two day-long Sustainability Walking Tours, one in Sacramento and one in Santa Monica.
Downtown Sacrament Shining Places Tour
$135 Non APA member
$100 APAP members
$35 Planning students
Registration and additional information available online here.
Downtown Sacrament Shining Places Tour
- Railyards mixed use project
- Elliott Building
- 1801 mixed use project
- Downtown Ally Activation project
- SMURFF (urban runoff facility)
- 502 Colorado Court (solar senior housing)
- Main Library (LEED certified)
- Award-winning Santa Monica General Plan
- Public Safety Building & Civic Auditorium
- Global Green & bioswale tour
$135 Non APA member
$100 APAP members
$35 Planning students
Registration and additional information available online here.
Upcoming Walking Events
A few activites to keep you busy over the next month:
The Road to Health: Improving Community Wellbeing Through Transportation
From safe routes to school and accessible public transit, to impacting your regional transportation plan, our convening will provide insight into creating more sustainable, healthy, and active communities. Featuring presentations from TransForm and local advocates, the convening will include:
Los Angeles – April 27, 2011
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
The California Endowment
1000 North Alameda Street
San Diego – May 4, 2011
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Sherman Heights Community Center
2258 Island Avenue
Registration is $25 for General Public, $10 for CPEHN Network Members. Register online here.
May 2 - Online Pedestrian Survey
Join California WALKS and America Walks in collecting valuable data on who walks and why we walk! America Walks is sponsoring an online survey among its members and affiliated organizations to understand what characterizes avid walkers and what distinguishes them from those less inclined to walk. The survey is not lengthy, is easy to fill out, and is designed to provide information usable in developing actionable steps to promote walking in the United States.
Check out the survey here.
The Road to Health: Improving Community Wellbeing Through Transportation
From safe routes to school and accessible public transit, to impacting your regional transportation plan, our convening will provide insight into creating more sustainable, healthy, and active communities. Featuring presentations from TransForm and local advocates, the convening will include:
- An overview of the impact of transportation on community health
- Presentations on local advocacyefforts to ensure cleaner air, safer streets, and accessible services
- Opportunities to advocate on local, statewide, and federal policy efforts to influence transportation policy and planning
Los Angeles – April 27, 2011
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
The California Endowment
1000 North Alameda Street
San Diego – May 4, 2011
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Sherman Heights Community Center
2258 Island Avenue
Registration is $25 for General Public, $10 for CPEHN Network Members. Register online here.
May 2 - Online Pedestrian Survey
Join California WALKS and America Walks in collecting valuable data on who walks and why we walk! America Walks is sponsoring an online survey among its members and affiliated organizations to understand what characterizes avid walkers and what distinguishes them from those less inclined to walk. The survey is not lengthy, is easy to fill out, and is designed to provide information usable in developing actionable steps to promote walking in the United States.
Check out the survey here.
Friday, April 22, 2011
This week on foot
This week the country is pondering sidewalks. First, the Senate Introduces a Narrower Bill for Wider Sidewalks (or at least, more funding for them). Then, there's some Some Orlando Neighborhoods Getting Sidewalks. But all this talk of sidewalks has some people wondering, Sidewalks are a neighborhood status symbol, but do they help the environment?
Meanwhile, it isn't sidewalks, but intersections in Honolulu that lead to Pedestrian Safety Concerns Rise After Newspaper Vendor Injured. And across the Pacific, it's another location, the Rincon Hill Intersection Nightmare For Pedestrians that's leading to bad dreams in San Francisco.
Fortunately, there's plenty of work happening to address these types of pedestrian problems. The City of Spartanburg Introduces Reflect for Safety Monday , and in Nebraska a City Works to Improve Pedestrian Stadium Traffic . But not every message promoting pedestrian safety is being greeted with enthusiasm. In New York, some complain that “Don’t Be a Jerk” — The Wrong Message at the Wrong Time , and that the City's focus on bicycling "jerks" is unwarranted. Other people aren't waiting for officials to address pedestrian wrongs, and instead moving forward quickly to see that pedestrians receive justices, as in the Wrongful-death suit filed in PCH hit-and-run .
Other people are turning to art, not lawsuits, in an effort to improve walkability, as in one neighborhood where Profanity, slurs in pedestrian tunnel lead to art contest . Others ponder walkability from different perspectives, such as this blog post that considers A dog's eye view of what makes a walkable neighborhood , or this one evaluating Outdoor Cafes .
Yet, with all the positive attention being paid to walkable neighborhoods, one Streetsblog post wonders, Is the Realtors’ Survey Really a Ringing Endorsement of Smart Growth? Maybe not, but it does continue to show that people want to be able to walk in their communities.
Meanwhile, it isn't sidewalks, but intersections in Honolulu that lead to Pedestrian Safety Concerns Rise After Newspaper Vendor Injured. And across the Pacific, it's another location, the Rincon Hill Intersection Nightmare For Pedestrians that's leading to bad dreams in San Francisco.
Fortunately, there's plenty of work happening to address these types of pedestrian problems. The City of Spartanburg Introduces Reflect for Safety Monday , and in Nebraska a City Works to Improve Pedestrian Stadium Traffic . But not every message promoting pedestrian safety is being greeted with enthusiasm. In New York, some complain that “Don’t Be a Jerk” — The Wrong Message at the Wrong Time , and that the City's focus on bicycling "jerks" is unwarranted. Other people aren't waiting for officials to address pedestrian wrongs, and instead moving forward quickly to see that pedestrians receive justices, as in the Wrongful-death suit filed in PCH hit-and-run .
Other people are turning to art, not lawsuits, in an effort to improve walkability, as in one neighborhood where Profanity, slurs in pedestrian tunnel lead to art contest . Others ponder walkability from different perspectives, such as this blog post that considers A dog's eye view of what makes a walkable neighborhood , or this one evaluating Outdoor Cafes .
Yet, with all the positive attention being paid to walkable neighborhoods, one Streetsblog post wonders, Is the Realtors’ Survey Really a Ringing Endorsement of Smart Growth? Maybe not, but it does continue to show that people want to be able to walk in their communities.
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