Transportation For America » U.S. DOT Secretary LaHood Announces DOT Safety Council Will Address Pedestrian Safety Following T4 America Report

U.S. DOT Secretary LaHood Announces DOT Safety Council Will Address Pedestrian Safety Following T4 America Report

November 16, 2009
By Transportation for America

Ray LaHood Petition Originally uploaded by Transportation for America

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sits behind a copy of Dangerous by Design and the petition signed by over 4,100 Americans asking USDOT to make safer streets a priority. More photos below.

In a meeting today with Transportation for America, Secretary LaHood commits to working with advocacy groups and reviewing policy to address pedestrian safety.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today pledged that the DOT Safety Council will take up the issue of pedestrian safety and work with advocacy groups to make America’s streets safer for everyone who uses them.

“The right of way doesn’t just belong to cars — it belongs to pedestrians and bicyclists as well,” said Secretary LaHood. “The DOT Safety Council is going to look at this report and work with advocacy groups to ensure our streets are as safe as possible.”

Secretary LaHood made the commitment during a meeting with Transportation for America and six coalition partners prompted by last week’s release of a report documenting preventable pedestrian deaths nationwide. More than 100 localities and states have adopted complete streets policies, requiring that urban and suburban roadways be designed for the safety and comfort of motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation riders alike.

According to Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods), more than 76,000 preventable pedestrian deaths over the last 15 years in America. That statistic is roughly equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every month. Most pedestrians were killed on streets designed exclusively to move vehicles, with little or no provision for the protection of people on foot or bicycle, the authors found.

Secretary LaHood already has demonstrated a strong interest in safety with a distracted driving initiative, the creation of a new Safety Council and his overall support for community livability in general. By adding Complete Streets to his list of safety priorities, he and his department can help ensure that every road project facilitates safe travel for everyone — including vulnerable pedestrians.

“Secretary LaHood’s leadership on the entire issue of safety is welcome, indeed,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “In elevating pedestrian and bicyclist safety to a national priority, the secretary is taking a long overdue step that will help to save lives, promote healthy levels of exercise in Americans’ everyday lives and make our neighborhoods, towns and cities even better places to live.”

Corless was joined in Monday’s meeting by representatives from the AARP, America Bikes, the American Public Health Association, National Complete Streets Coalition, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and Smart Growth America.

“This is an important commitment toward a goal we all share,” said Elinor Ginzler, AARP’s Senior Vice President for Livable Communities. “When Americans walk out of their homes to get to where they need and want to go, they should be confident in their travel safety.”

During the meeting representatives of the Transportation for America coalition presented the secretary with a petition signed by more than 4,100 Americans in the days following last week’s report release. Dangerous by Design was co-produced by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, Transportation for America and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Filed under: Campaign Blog, Press Releases
Tags: DOT, featured, lahood, u.s. dot

http://planning.maryland.gov/ David Whitaker, AICP

Thank you for bringing the issues of pedestrian and bicycle safety and Complete Streets to the attention of U.S. DOT Sec. LaHood. We hope that U.S. DOT will become a partner in efforts to promote Complete Streets policies and fund sustainable community transportation initiatives in all states and with each of the MPO’s. Both the report and your on-going efforts to bring these issues to the attention of federal policy makers are greatly appreciated.
http://planning.maryland.gov/ David Whitaker, AICP

Thank you for bringing these issues to the attention of U.S. DOT Secretary LaHood. We hope the U.S. DOT will become a partner in the development of Complete Streets policies and in the funding of sustainable community transportation infrastructure.
http://www.walksacramento.org/2009/10/sacramento-safe-routes-to-school-conference-b/ Dangerous by Design – Pedestrian Safety Report » WALKSacramento

[...] We took your message to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the U.S. DOT to make pedestrian safe… [...]
http://www.walksf.org/2009/11/23/dangerous-by-design-report-in-the-news/ Walk San Francisco » Blog Archive » Dangerous by Design Report in the News

[...] thank you! Your signature along with 4,100 other pedestrian safety advocates’ signatures were delivered to Secretary LaHood on November 16th by Transportation for America. In that meeting last Monday with Transportation for America, [...]