WASHINGTON – Cities in the South and West are the most dangerous for pedestrians, with four in Florida earning the dubious distinction of being the deadliest of all.
A private study released Thursday concluded that sprawling, newer cities in the South and West tend to be built with wide, high-speed roads that are especially dangerous for walking.
“So much of our transportation system is designed for cars and only cars,” said Anne Canby, president of the Surface Transportation Policy Project, which issued the report. The group advocates balanced transportation.
The report found that the 9,746 walkers who died in 2002-2003 were more likely to be killed on busy streets without crosswalks. Nearly 40 percent died where crosswalks weren’t available.
“Wide roads, speeding traffic and a lack of crosswalks or sidewalks can make walking a deadly activity,” the report said. “There simply are not enough pedestrian facilities.”
Regional differences in walking safety are stark. Twice as many walkers die in traffic accidents in New Orleans, San Diego and Phoenix than in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Boston.
People are three times more likely to be struck and killed on streets in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla., Orlando and Miami-Fort Lauderdale than they are in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, characterized by traffic speeding along eight-lane boulevards, was ranked first for its dangerous roads, with 3.69 deaths per 100,000 people in 2002-2003.
By contrast, there were 1.36 deaths per 100,000 people in the Seattle-Tacoma area during those years, the report said.
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