All posts from the month of May 2011
Today’s Headlines – 5/31/11
May 31, 2011By Transportation for America
A freight industry group hailed the Senate transportation bill outline as an “encouraging development.” (Transport Topics)
The House today is expected to vote — and reject — a measure to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, with Republicans calling for deeper spending cuts. (Washington Post)
Despite heightening domestic criticism, Spanish trade officials are interested in helping with California high-speed rail. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Florida Governor Rick Scott’s rejection of federal rail funds has created new congestion challenges for I-4. (Tampa Tribune)
Long commutes are fueling obesity, neck pain, stress, divorce and other terrible side-effects, Annie Lowrey wrote. (Slate)
And, ridership on Boston’s transit system reached its highest number since September 2008, with 1.3 million riding every weekday. (Globe)
Newspapers across the country call for increased pedestrian safety following Dangerous by Design rankings
May 27, 2011By Sean Barry
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| Jackson, Mississippi Credit: Dr. Scott Crawford. |
This week’s release of Dangerous by Design has prompted several newspapers to editorialize in favor of tough pedestrian safety measures that address the urgency of the 47,000 killed and 688,000 injured on unsafe streets between 2000 and 2009.
The report generated ample coverage in Florida, home to the nation’s four most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians: Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville. Statewide, 5,163 Floridians were killed between 2000 and 2009, at a cost of $22.2 billion.
The Orlando Sentinel weighed in Wednesday, warning: “If you like to walk in Florida, the bad news just keeps coming,” continuing: “What’s attractive about living in a place where it’s dangerous to even walk?”
The Sentinel also turned its attention to Florida’s elected officials who are in a position to make a difference:
Can we look to our current leadership to correct this dubious distinction? Well, U.S Rep. John Mica wants to lift the requirement that 10 percent of federal gas tax proceeds be spent on things like sidewalks and bike lanes. And Gov. Rick Scott’s new Secretary of Transportation, Ananth Prasad, recently testified before Congress that, when money’s tight, it might not make sense to build — you guessed it — sidewalks and bike trails.
(Ed. note: The Sentinel figure is too high — in fact, about 1.5 percent of total federal transportation dollars go toward making walking and biking safer.)
The Gainesville Sun reached a similar conclusion in “A death defying act: Walking across Florida’s mean streets,” saying: “Facilitating the fast movement of automobiles is a far higher priority than saving lives.”
In West Virginia, several newspapers covered the report and the Charleston Daily Mail ran an editorial titled “Protecting pedestrians should be a priority.” They wrote:
Improving safety for pedestrians is essential if the state is going to promote walking as part of any program for healthier living. Given this state’s abysmal rankings in most health categories, the issue seems worthy of government attention.
West Virginia is the home of Nick Rahall, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as key Republican Shelley Moore Capito, who this week announced her intention to fight for pedestrian safety in the next transportation bill. The state ranked 24th out of 50 in overall pedestrian danger index.
Up north, the Philadelphia Inquirer noted Pennsylvania’s relatively favorable ranking overall while imploring Mayor Michael Nutter to continue efforts toward promoting a walkable city. Philadelphia has already expanded bike lanes and instituted a Complete Streets policy.
And in Hawaii, which had the highest fatality rate among senior pedestrians, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser similarly urged renewed focus on the needs of all road users.
Failure to adopt a policy that helps seniors and all citizens use transportation without undue hazard would be a mistake, more costly in the long run and a contradiction in a state that prides itself on its year-round enjoyment of the outdoors.
You can view more state rankings on our report map here.
UPDATE: The Detroit Free Press, hailing from the cradle of the American auto industry, echoed similar themes this weekend, editorializing: “Designing walkable streets and public places is important to building healthy, livable cities that attract talented employees, innovative businesses and creative entrepreneurs.”
Also, several lawmakers responded in the wake of the report.
Today’s Headlines – 4/27/11
May 27, 2011By Transportation for America
Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institute outlined a comprehensive path forward on transportation policy. (WSJ)
Democrats and unions defended Amtrak from House transportation committee chairman John Mica’s move to take the system out of high-speed rail contention. (The Hill)
The California Legislature might create new infrastructure financing districts to fund local projects. (Bond Buyer)
New York State Senators passed a gas tax holiday by a 48-14 vote. (Land Line Magazine)
Unlike his Midwest peers, Michigan’s Republican Governor has embraced livability and high-speed rail. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
And, House Democrats’ campaign chief said the majority of his chamber is “in play” in 2012. (The Hill)
Lawmakers move to address pedestrian safety in the wake of Dangerous by Design
May 26, 2011By Sean Barry
Tuesday’s release of Dangerous by Design outlining the 47,700 deaths and 688,000 injuries to people while walking on unsafe streets has renewed Congress’ focus on pedestrian safety in the next transportation bill. But what substantial steps the House and Senate will take to promote safer streets and improve conditions for walking remains very much in play.
As we point out in the report, federal dollars and/or design guidelines have contributed to the dangerous conditions on the roads where two-thirds of these people have died, so the federal government can’t now throw up their hands, pass the buck and declare the ongoing carnage “a local problem.”
Representative Shelley Moore Capito (right), a West Virginia Republican and member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told the Charleston Daily Mail that she will “certainly remain a strong voice for making roads safer to pedestrians” while crafting the transportation bill. More than 200 people were killed while walking in West Virginia from 2000 to 2009, according to the report, at a cost of $1.02 billion, and the Charleston metro area had 56 of those fatalities. The entire state ranked 24th out of 50 states in overall danger to pedestrians.
Over in the Senate, the Environmental and Public Works Committee has been drafting their part of the bill and looking for points of agreement among the top four committee members from both parties. Many T4 partners from across the country have been communicating with EPW offices for the last several weeks urging the Senate to retain dedicated funding for making walking and biking safer, a key recommendation of Dangerous by Design 2011.
Sen. Boxer released a joint statement yesterday with her fellow Committee leaders from both parties on the broad principles they’ve agreed upon for the next transportation bill. (Read T4′s official response here.)
• Funds programs at current levels to maintain and modernize our critical transportation infrastructure;
• Eliminates earmarks;
• Consolidates numerous programs to focus resources on key national goals and reduce duplicative and wasteful programs;
• Consolidates numerous programs into a more focused freight program that will improve the movement of goods;
• Creates a new section called America Fast Forward, which strengthens the TIFIA program to stretch federal dollars further than they have been stretched before; and
• Expedites project delivery without sacrificing the environment or the rights of people to be heard
Boxer told reporters she supports federal efforts and funding for walking and biking. “Certainly any mode of transportation – roads that support alternatives such as bike paths, walkways – will be included and get good attention,” she said, according to Streetsblog Capitol Hill, though negotiations continue on all aspects of the bill not included in these core principles above.
California had 6,957 pedestrian deaths from 2000 to 2009, including 2,533 in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and 938 in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro area, which made the list of the top ten most dangerous metros at #5. California ranked 16th out of all 50 states, according to the report’s Pedestrian Danger Index for states.
Today’s Headlines – 5/26/11
May 26, 2011By Transportation for America
A bipartisan statement on the next transportation bill from a key Senate committee contains some differences with the Obama administration. (Reuters)
The draft proposal, titled MAP-21, would fund transportation at current levels plus inflation and expand a project loan program called America Fast Forward. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
An advocacy group representing road builders released a new add saying 80 million jobs are at stake in transportation legislation. (The Hill)
The Senate voted down both Paul Ryan’s budget and a version of the administration’s blueprint. (The Hill)
U.S. transportation officials said plans for California high-speed rail in the Central Valley will move forward. (Fresno Bee)
And, Republicans continue arguing that steep spending cuts will produce immediate economic growth. (WP)
Transportation for America response to joint statement of EPW leaders
May 26, 2011By Transportation for America
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Committee, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, and Senator David Vitter (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, issued a joint statement on transportation authorization legislation. James Corless, director of Transportation for America, issued this statement in response:
We are pleased, indeed, to hear this bipartisan group of key Senators declare that, nearly two years after the expiration of the current SAFETEA-LU legislation, Congress intends to take up the next authorization bill in earnest. We also are heartened to learn that these leaders are not embracing cuts to current funding levels.
Because we have long called for the federal program to “focus resources on key national goals”, we were glad to hear the four senators echo that sentiment. We eagerly await discussion of what those goals might be, as well as the mechanisms for holding states and localities accountable for progress.
Whatever else the bill does, we certainly hope it will ensure that states use our federal dollars to address the 45 percent of highways rated below “good” condition and to repair our 70,000 structurally deficient bridges. In this era of rising gas prices and concerns over oil supplies, the next program also must ensure Americans have many safe, convenient and affordable options for getting around. And it must reduce the rate of death and injury to pedestrians noted this week in our Dangerous by Design report. Because two-thirds of fatalities occur on roads built under federal programs, the federal government clearly has a role in making those roads safer.
Today’s Headlines – 5/25/11
May 25, 2011By Transportation for America
The spotlight was on Florida for having the nation’s four worst metropolitan areas for pedestrians. (USA Today)
Democrat Kathy Hochul won a GOP-leaning New York House seat last night largely by running against the Paul Ryan budget. (National Journal)
The victory could give Democrats the chance to play offense elsewhere in 2012. (The Hill)
A debt ceiling deal led by Vice President Biden might result in an additional $1 trillion in cuts. (Politico)
A transportation bill without Congressional earmarks has shifted lobbying to State Capitols. (Roll Call)
And West Virginia’s Nick Rahall, the top House Democrat on the transportation committee, said a higher gas tax should be on the table. (The Hill)
New report and map chronicles the visceral reality of 47,000 preventable pedestrian deaths
May 24, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
The 2011 edition of our pedestrian safety report is out today, looking back on the 47,000 people that were killed and 688,000 injured while walking our nation’s streets in the ten years from 2000-2009. Dangerous by Design 2011 examines the problem and several solutions for the epidemic of preventable deaths that far too many have simply accepted as matter of course.
This edition of our national report, along with data and a report or factsheet for all 50 states, comes with a powerful visual: this year, we’ve taken the pedestrian fatalities from 2001 to 2009 that have location data (all but about 5 percent) and plotted them on an interactive map, allowing you to take a look at the streets and roads near you to see how safe or unsafe they may be. Test it out.
http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011/map/
Type an address and once the map draws, click on any point to see the available information about the victim, the date, the location, the street type and even what the road looks like via Google Street View. Here’s a sample from Orlando, rated the #1 most dangerous metro area in the country.
The visual is striking. Shown on a map like this, it’s shockingly easy to pick out the busy arterial roads where fatalities are strung out in a tidy little line following the path of the road. Nationally speaking, the majority of these deaths occurred along these “arterial” roadways that are dangerous by design — streets engineered for speeding traffic with little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on bicycles.
Our federal tax dollars actually go to build these streets that are designed to be perilous to children, older adults and everyone else. And yet, right now, some in Congress are considering the total elimination of funding for projects to make it safer to walk and bicycle.
The highways-only lobby insists that pedestrian safety is a “frill” and a local responsibility. But 67 percent of these fatalities over the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roads — roads eligible to receive federal funding or with federal guidelines or oversight for their design.
That’s right: Federal programs have encouraged state departments of transportation to prioritize speeding traffic over the safety of people in our neighborhoods and shopping districts. Shouldn’t our tax dollars be used to build streets that are safe for all users, and not deadly for those on foot?
The irony is that fixing these conditions is relatively cheap: Existing funds for that purpose — now targeted for elimination — amount to less than 1.5 percent of the current federal transportation outlay. A policy of giving federal support only to “complete streets” that are designed for the safety of people on foot or bicycle as well as in cars would cost next to nothing.
Tell Congress: it’s no time to start cutting funding keeps pedestrians safe.
UPDATE: Within hours of the report’s release, Senator Tom Harkin and eleven co-sponsors formally introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2011, which mirrors its House counterpart — sponsored by Republican Steve LaTourette and Democrat Doris Matsui — in calling for streets that are safe and accessible for all users, whether on foot, in a wheelchair, on a bike or using public transit. The Iowa Democrat, who has introduced similar legislation in the past, mentioned the Dangerous by Design report in his statement this afternoon.
Report documents preventable pedestrian deaths, ranks most dangerous metro areas
May 24, 2011By Transportation for America
Programs and policies to promote safer streets and walking threatened as Congress debates renewal of federal transportation bill
More than 47,700 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. between 2000 and 2009, and the majority of those deaths were preventable, according to a new report released today by Transportation for America. The report, “Dangerous by Design 2011: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths,” shows how roadway designs promoted by federal investment endanger people on foot.
Dangerous by Design also ranks America’s major metropolitan areas using a Pedestrian Danger Index that uses 10 years of data to assess how safe pedestrians are while walking. The top four – Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa – are all in Florida. Other dangerous cities in the top 10 include: San Bernardino, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Memphis, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas.
The report presents data on pedestrian fatalities and injuries in every U.S. county. And for the first time, this year’s report includes an online, interactive map showing the locations where pedestrian fatalities have occurred.
More than 688,000 pedestrians were injured over the decade, a number equivalent to a pedestrian being struck by a car or truck every 7 minutes. The report finds that while only 1.5 percent of federal funds are allocated towards upgrading dangerous roads, 12 percent of all nationwide fatalities are pedestrians. Of these fatalities, nearly 4,000 were children 15 years and younger, making pedestrian injury the third leading cause of death by unintentional injury for that age group.
The majority of deaths occur on roadways that encourage speeding but do not provide the sidewalks, crosswalks, signals and other protections for people who are walking, the report finds. Most of these roads were built using federal transportation funds. The report comes as the federal transportation bill is being debated in Washington DC and calls to eliminate programs that can promote safer, more walkable streets have increased.
“Some in Congress have questioned the federal interest in keeping pedestrians safe, believing it to be a strictly local issue,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “But two-thirds of all pedestrian fatalities in the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roadways.”
Dangerous by Design describes how communities across the country are beginning to reverse the legacy of 50 years of anti-pedestrian policies by retrofitting or building new roads as “complete streets” that are safer for walking and bicycling, as well as motorists.
“Dangerous by Design shines a spotlight on the dangers pedestrians – especially older Americans – face when they walk in unsafe crosswalks and along roads with little protection from fast-moving traffic,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President. “With a rapidly aging population, AARP is renewing its call on Congress to pass ‘Complete Streets’ legislation, which will help ensure that our streets and sidewalks are safe for all Americans regardless of age or ability.”
Hispanics suffered an average pedestrian death rate 62 percent higher than that for non-Hispanic whites. Similarly, the average pedestrian death rate for African-Americans was 73 percent higher than for non-Hispanic whites. In addition, older Americans are over twice as likely to be killed while walking as those under 65 years of age.
Dangerous by Design outlines a roadmap for the future by which Congress can tackle the problems created by poorly designed transportation systems and create safer, more efficient cities for drivers and pedestrians alike. Of particular emphasis is developing transportation systems that take into account pedestrians and bicyclists, instead of viewing them as impediments to traffic.
“Investing to make our roads safer for pedestrians is not a frill, but an urgent matter of life and death in too many of our communities,” said Corless. “Federal programs that caused the dangerous roads to be built now must be reformed to help communities make them safer.”
T4 recommendations for the next transportation bill to create safer streets include provisions to:
- Retain dedicated federal funding for pedestrians and bicyclists;
- Create complete networks of sidewalks, bicycle paths, and trails so that residents can travel safely throughout an area;
- Require federal, state, and local governments to set safety standards they must meet for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and motorists; and
- Hold states accountable for creating communities that are safe for walking.
To view the full report, please click here. (pdf)
Today’s Headlines – 5/24/11
May 24, 2011By Transportation for America
With a tough economy and high gas prices, more Central Floridians are taking the bus. (Orlando Sentinel)
Nationwide, Americans are driving less for the first time in 13 months. (Reuters)
Several Congressional observers told Streetsblog they think a six-year transportation bill’s prospects remain low. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
Complete streets policies are receiving increased attention. (NPR)
House transportation committee chairman John Mica and Jerrold Nadler, a longtime committee Democrat, penned separate Politico op-eds on infrastructure. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
And, a Democratic victory in a western New York House seat today could change the conversation about spending in Washington. (New Republic)
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- The more they see, the less they like: 10 reasons why opposition to the House transportation bill is growing
February 21, 2012 - Crucial amendment could improve Senate bill, restore local control and help make streets safer
February 14, 2012 - Oppose House bill that slashes public transit funding, falls short on repair and axes bike & pedestrian safety
February 7, 2012 - T4 coalition announces opposition to House energy and transportation bill
February 6, 2012 - House committee ignores broad opposition, decimates transit funding anyway
February 3, 2012
- The more they see, the less they like: 10 reasons why opposition to the House transportation bill is growing
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