This Week on Foot

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The first two weeks of 2012 are off to a busy start, with everyone trying to get into the walkability game. Microsoft awarded patent for dynamic walking directions that keep you safe, a Virginia County Government Augments Its Walkability Efforts, and there's A walk-up window in Georgetown for pedestrians to take advantage of.

And it's not just Americans interested in walkability. Dubai Mall launches pedestrian link project, while in Europe folks are wondering is neighborhood walkability a key element for Belgian adolescents? If it is, then Belgium should definitely pay attention to What Neighborhoods Need to Succeed at Walkability.

Of course, if they're wondering what hurts successful walkability, they could check out some of The Design Tragedies That Pass for Road “Improvements” It kind of makes you wonder Is this pedestrian safety or just pedestrian removal?
If you want to know what actually is pedestrian safety, you could check out this Interview with Walk Score CEO Josh Herst, or maybe learn How to Boost Biking and Walking in Your Town: Lessons From Minneapolis or take a peek at The variety of pedestrian bridges over Lake Shore Drive.

What you won't want to do is follow the lead of Tuscon, where Tucson pedestrian deaths/injuries nearly double. Parts of Florida aren't much better, like The Acreage scores worst in Florida for 'walkability,' company finds. Even in Japan they have some problems, at least according to the Pedestrian, cyclist criticize policy of allowing bicycles on Tokyo sidewalks.

Fortunately there's hope out there. When you're walking through Chicago and wondering Are Chicago’s pedestrian safety campaign posters too depressing? you can just think to yourself, "Maybe we just need to build a few more 'Pocket Neighborhoods' For Sustainable Suburbs...."

January Walking Events

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A few webinars and walks to keep you busy this month:

January 14, 9 am PST
WalkSanDiego La Jolla Community Walk

This will be the first of several walks this year to discover the rich history of La Jolla, visiting both the commercial district and some of the beautiful and historic neighborhoods. The walks are open to everyone; they are free to WalkSanDiego members, with a suggested $5 donation for non-members. No reservations needed. For further information, contact Dave Schumacher

January 18, 12 pm -1 pm PST
Emerging Technologies for Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning

Through a series of short presentations, this webinar will survey several applications with the potential to help engineers and planners improve conditions for bicycling and walking. The examples covered in this session will offer an overview of a range of situations where technological advances can aid professionals in their work to develop plans and programs. More information and registration here.

January 20, 12 pm- 1 pm PST
Visioning San Diego Lunch Forum

Dr. Tracy Delaney will provide and report on the accomplishments of the CPPW program, which is locally called Healthy Works. Its purpose is to improve the health and well being of local residents by making broad-based systems and environmental changes. She will also present information on a Community Transportation Grant that was recently awarded to the County by the Centers for Disease Control. The grant provides an additional $3 million for health related programs in San Diego County to help create healthier communities and halt spiraling health care costs for preventable chronic diseases.

Location: Downtown Information Center, 193 Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101
Tickets: $5.00 in advance, $7.00 at the door
RSVP here by January 17, 2012

January 31, 10 am -11 am PST
Pump Down the Volume: SRTS and Traffic Reduction 

In this sixty minute webinar, we will take a brief look at the problem of traffic congestion as it relates to SRTS and then focus on two SRTS programs that have had success in reducing congestion and measuring traffic reductions. This webinar is part of the Safe Routes to School Coaching Action Network Webinar Series, developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School. More information and registration here.

Freaking out about Walking Drunk

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You may have caught the recent Freakonomics broadcast on the perils of walking drunk, a story that's been causing controversy ever since it appeared in the opening chapters of Super-Freakonomics. The quick summary, for those in the dark, is that the Freakonomics authors did some number-crunching and determined that walking drunk is eight times more likely to get you killed than driving drunk.

According to co-author and economist Steven Levitt, "Truly, if you're faced exactly with two choices, walking drunk or driving drunk, you absolutely should drive drunk."

Shockingly, this statement upset some people. But is it true?

We know that in terms of deaths per trip, pedestrians are over-represented when compared to drivers or vehicle passengers. However, even though our Freakonomics friends threw out some assumptions about total miles walked in the US, we don't have great data on overall exposure to walking dangers (e.g. how do you count all those crashes that happen in parking lots?). Thus, contrary to what Levitt and company suggest, it's hard to actually know how dangerous walking is on a per-mile basis.

On the other hand, it's true that walking isn't always safe--particularly if you're walking home after a night at the bars. Nighttime walking, especially on weekends, is highly associated with pedestrian fatalities.  Of course, this is the case whether you're stumbling drunk or stone-cold sober (although it's worth noting that about a third of pedestrian fatalities involve drinking), but I suppose the publicity for your book is better if you focus on perils for tipsy pedestrians...

...which brings us back to Levitt's argument that you should drive, rather than walk, drunk. It could be true that driving is the "correct" choice if you're only considering your personal safety. However, as anyone who's taken Economics 101 could  point out (and has, if you read the comments on the Freakonomics page), there are significant external costs associated with both drunk driving and driving in general. Factor those in, and walking becomes much more appealing from an economic standpoint--but not safer for the pedestrian. Advocates, planners, and traffic engineers: that's your job.

Pedestrian Jobs Available

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If you're looking to start the new year with a new job, there are a couple of great opportunities for expert pedestrians available.

First, here in Los Angeles the LADOT is seeking at least two full-time consultants to develop a Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan will include the development of a Phase 1 ranked list of schools and recommendations for infrastructure and non­infrastructure safety countermeasures for implementation. Consultants will build networks and partnerships to deliver a feasible strategic plan based on data driven recommendations that has a broad base of support.
More information and application materials are available here.

On the other coast, Bike Walk Connecticut is seeking an Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for managing the overall affairs of Bike Walk Connecticut including the implementation of board-approved projects, programs, policies and procedures in fulfillment of its mission and strategic plan. More information is available on the Bike Walk Connecticut website here.

This Week on Foot

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As 2011 wraps up, we see Pedestrian Safety Changes Coming to Village in Ridgewood, but wonder
Did America's Cup Avenue Change Newport's Walkability? If not, then at least in Michigan Detroit Complete Streets Coalition Makes City Streets Safer For Bikers, Pedestrians, while further south

New Orleans' 'complete streets' ordinance draws praise.Of course, we could have figured this complete streets thing out a little sooner if we had paid attention to the Warning of Urban Sprawl...in 1959

 

Meanwhile, the Times Square Pedestrian Plaza Drives NY Post Columnist Mad, but in Janesville it's signs that are coming under fire with much Bash, bang, bother: Pedestrian signs face vehicular assault.

 

Thankfully it's not all negative news out there though, as Research offers fixes for Toronto's high-rise isolation and Pedestrian safety, new police chief among top Dublin stories in '11 in Columbus Ohio

 

Finally, for those in Washington who'd like to get more involved in pedestrian advocacy: Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board seeks new members.

And remember, New Year's Eve is one of the most dangerous nights of the year for pedestrians, so stay safe as you celebrate the start of 2012!