Pedestrian Safety

Bird Scooters Now Automatically Slow in High-Activity Areas
Years after cities first started trying to regulate electric scooters with geofences and designated parking areas, Bird will begin automatically lowering scooter speeds in pedestrian-dense areas like school zones and hospitals.

Activists Urge Action to Reduce Arizona's Bike and Pedestrian Deaths
The state ranks as the seventh most dangerous for pedestrians, with more than 100 pedestrian and cyclist deaths every year.

Houston's Pedestrian Death Problem, Explained
The city's roadways were built to prioritize fast-moving traffic, not safety. With a new Vision Zero plan, that could change.

Study: More SUVs Lead to More Pedestrian Deaths
Larger vehicles are proving deadlier for pedestrians–and are more popular than ever.

Philadelphia Street Mural Aims to Slow Cars and Improve Pedestrian Safety
Part of a larger safety and beautification plan, the mural is designed to slow down drivers and bring a 'sense of hope' to the neighborhood.

How 'Bicycle Friendly' is Gainesville?
Despite a recent designation from the League of American Bicyclists, one writer argues that the city's infrastructure is failing to protect pedestrians and cyclists from dangerous car traffic.

Breaking News: 'Vision Zero' Resolution Introduced in Congress
The resolution acknowledges the epidemic of traffic fatalities and calls on DOT to focus on traffic safety with the goal of reducing roadway deaths to zero by 2050.

How Urban Design and Infrastructure Affects Public Health and Dignity
Poor infrastructure can have powerful impacts on how different groups access resources and experience the public realm.

Women Avoid Walking Due to Fear of Assault, Survey Says
A global survey shows that women around the world overwhelmingly cite fear of assault as the top reason for avoiding walking.

A New Master Plan for Midtown Cleveland
The neighborhood community development corporation has created a new vision for a Cleveland neighborhood frequented by daytime work populations and people passing through.

Why Pedestrian Deaths Are Rising
Jarrett Walker offers insights into "Right of Way," a book written last year by Angie Schmitt that is influencing the traffic safety conversation and pushing the fields of planning and engineering in new directions.

Miami Funds Protected Bike Lanes With E-Scooter Fees
The city, which has some of the nation's most dangerous streets for pedestrians and cyclists, is installing 3 miles of new bike lanes and pedestrian ramps on some of its busiest downtown corridors.

For Transportation Justice, Auto Safety Must Protect People Outside the Car
Light trucks are killing more pedestrians than ever while keeping their drivers and passengers safer. Is it time to reframe safety regulations?

Portland Installs 'Alternative Pedestrian Walkway'
The walkway is simpler and faster to build than a sidewalk, letting the city quickly and cost-effectively improve pedestrian safety on important walking corridors.

NACTO Suggests Changes to MUTCD
The association's proposed changes to the manual include a focus on eliminating road deaths, improving pedestrian safety, and creating a more inclusive public process.

Opinion: Put Pedestrians First—End Jaywalking Laws
To reduce pedestrian deaths, we must restore their rights as primary street users, argues a former NYC traffic commissioner.

Opinion: U.S. Traffic Deaths are a Regulatory Failure
One writer argues that rules that prioritize driver safety and ignore pedestrian infrastructure have led to a sharp increase in fatalities on U.S. roads.

Seattle Recalculates Walk Signal Timing to Make Crossings Safer for Pedestrians
The new formulas for calculating the length of walk signals are designed to give people more time to safely cross the street.

2020 Could Set Records for Pedestrian Fatality Rates
The novel coronavirus wasn't the only public health risk spreading around the United States in 2020.

Pedestrian Activity Increased Most Outside of Cities in 2020
The locations with the largest increases of pedestrian activity during the pandemic year are all in Florida.
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