Pedestrians on their way to work cross Lombard Street in rainy weather in downtown Baltimore. (Jed Kirschbaum, Baltimore Sun) |
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Maryland, with a pedestrian death rate that is significantly higher than the national average, ranks second from the bottom nationally in its spending of federal transportation funds on resources for walkers and bicyclists, according to a study released Monday.
The national study, entitled "Dangerous by Design," concludes that a disregard for the safety of people on foot in highway engineering is an important contributing factor in the thousands of pedestrian deaths on U.S. roads.
Produced by a coalition of groups led by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America, the report calls for significant investments in projects to make roads safer for walking. It calls on Congress, which is expected to vote on a new six-year transportation bill next year, to hold states accountable for failing to use federal funds to promote walking and ensure safety.
One of the worst states in that regard, according to the report, is Maryland. The study ranks Maryland 49th among the 50 states in per capita spending of federal transportation funds on bicycling and walking projects. The study puts Maryland's per capita spending on such projects at 45 cents - compared with a national average of $1.46 and a high of $9.47 in Alaska. Only Virginia, with per capita spending of 22 cents, was ranked as more stingy toward walkers.
Douglas H. Simmons, deputy state highway administrator, said the report might be understating Maryland's commitment to such projects because the state has traditionally funded some pedestrian programs entirely out of its own Transportation Trust Fund.
But Dan Pontious, executive director of the Citizens Planing and Housing Association, said that in spite of some progress, transportation agencies cling to their old priorities.
"In the big picture, we're still really focused on moving cars, and there's much more progress to make to create vibrant, walkable communities," he said.
In the report, Maryland also ranked poorly in terms of the risk of being killed by a vehicle while walking. The study computed a pedestrian danger index - based on the number of fatalities per 100,000 population and the percentage of commuters walking to work - with a national average of 52. Maryland's score on that scale was 83. Pedestrians made up 19.4 percent of those killed in highway crashes in Maryland - compared with a national average of 11.8 percent.
Among metropolitan areas, Baltimore was ranked 29th out of 52 nationally as cities in the South and West dominated the list of the most dangerous regions.
But the Baltimore area fared far worse when compared with most cities in the Northeast and Midwest - ranking as more dangerous than Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Boston, among others.
According to the report, nine of the ten most dangerous metro areas for walkers are in the South - the top four of them in Florida. The study ascribed the region's high rate of pedestrian deaths primarily to "lower density and automobile-oriented development patterns."
Advocates for pedestrian safety held a news conference Monday at which they endorse a concept called "Complete Streets" in which roads are built or rebuilt to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles as well as motor vehicles. Many cities and state, they said, have made walking safer by investing in infrastructure that protects pedestrians.
However, it reported, Maryland has spent only 0.6 percent of its federal highway money on pedestrian and bicycle projects one of the lowest percentages in the nation.
Simmons said that figure may be misleading.
"Traditionally we had put our federal dollars more toward major projects," he said. For smaller-scale projects, he said, "it's a little easier to go through the state process."
Among the programs Maryland typically finds with state dollars are its Retrofit Sidewalks program and another that brings state highway into compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.
Simmons said the state has been making steady progress on accommodating pedestrians for the last 15 years. But he conceded that making older highways safe is a daunting challenge.
"Retrofitting the entire system, yes, will take a substantial amount of time," he said. In Baltimore, city officials insist they're focused on pedestrian safety issues.
Jamie Kendrick, deputy city transportation director, noted that the Dixon administration has nearly completed its installation of pedestrian countdown signals at major city intersections - especially downtown.
Kendrick also said the city has re-timed traffic signals President Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard - among the city's wider streets - to allow pedestrians to cross the entire roadway a single move rather than having to pause midway. He also pointed to the city's use of red light and speed cameras as a pedestrian protection measure.
But Kendrick said the report's conclusions sounded "more than fair."
"We've got a ways to go to improve," he said. "There's always more we can do."
The national study, entitled "Dangerous by Design," concludes that a disregard for the safety of people on foot in highway engineering is an important contributing factor in the thousands of pedestrian deaths on U.S. roads.
Produced by a coalition of groups led by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America, the report calls for significant investments in projects to make roads safer for walking. It calls on Congress, which is expected to vote on a new six-year transportation bill next year, to hold states accountable for failing to use federal funds to promote walking and ensure safety.
One of the worst states in that regard, according to the report, is Maryland. The study ranks Maryland 49th among the 50 states in per capita spending of federal transportation funds on bicycling and walking projects. The study puts Maryland's per capita spending on such projects at 45 cents - compared with a national average of $1.46 and a high of $9.47 in Alaska. Only Virginia, with per capita spending of 22 cents, was ranked as more stingy toward walkers.
Douglas H. Simmons, deputy state highway administrator, said the report might be understating Maryland's commitment to such projects because the state has traditionally funded some pedestrian programs entirely out of its own Transportation Trust Fund.
But Dan Pontious, executive director of the Citizens Planing and Housing Association, said that in spite of some progress, transportation agencies cling to their old priorities.
"In the big picture, we're still really focused on moving cars, and there's much more progress to make to create vibrant, walkable communities," he said.
In the report, Maryland also ranked poorly in terms of the risk of being killed by a vehicle while walking. The study computed a pedestrian danger index - based on the number of fatalities per 100,000 population and the percentage of commuters walking to work - with a national average of 52. Maryland's score on that scale was 83. Pedestrians made up 19.4 percent of those killed in highway crashes in Maryland - compared with a national average of 11.8 percent.
Among metropolitan areas, Baltimore was ranked 29th out of 52 nationally as cities in the South and West dominated the list of the most dangerous regions.
But the Baltimore area fared far worse when compared with most cities in the Northeast and Midwest - ranking as more dangerous than Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Boston, among others.
According to the report, nine of the ten most dangerous metro areas for walkers are in the South - the top four of them in Florida. The study ascribed the region's high rate of pedestrian deaths primarily to "lower density and automobile-oriented development patterns."
Advocates for pedestrian safety held a news conference Monday at which they endorse a concept called "Complete Streets" in which roads are built or rebuilt to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles as well as motor vehicles. Many cities and state, they said, have made walking safer by investing in infrastructure that protects pedestrians.
However, it reported, Maryland has spent only 0.6 percent of its federal highway money on pedestrian and bicycle projects one of the lowest percentages in the nation.
Simmons said that figure may be misleading.
"Traditionally we had put our federal dollars more toward major projects," he said. For smaller-scale projects, he said, "it's a little easier to go through the state process."
Among the programs Maryland typically finds with state dollars are its Retrofit Sidewalks program and another that brings state highway into compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.
Simmons said the state has been making steady progress on accommodating pedestrians for the last 15 years. But he conceded that making older highways safe is a daunting challenge.
"Retrofitting the entire system, yes, will take a substantial amount of time," he said. In Baltimore, city officials insist they're focused on pedestrian safety issues.
Jamie Kendrick, deputy city transportation director, noted that the Dixon administration has nearly completed its installation of pedestrian countdown signals at major city intersections - especially downtown.
Kendrick also said the city has re-timed traffic signals President Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard - among the city's wider streets - to allow pedestrians to cross the entire roadway a single move rather than having to pause midway. He also pointed to the city's use of red light and speed cameras as a pedestrian protection measure.
But Kendrick said the report's conclusions sounded "more than fair."
"We've got a ways to go to improve," he said. "There's always more we can do."
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This is somewhat alarming, yet I'm not all that surprised. When I moved here from California, almost 8 years ago, I assumed that any place outside California would have to be more pedestrian friendly. I was disappointed to see how wrong I was when I realized that California, of all places, was much more pedestrian and bicycle friendly that the "progressive" state of Maryland.
It's ridiculous that one can't walk to a store or restaurant only a few blocks from one's home or office simply because it is very unsafe and inconvenient due to the lack of sidewalks, cross-walks, and footbridges. It forces us to get in the car just to go to a nearby destination that would be well within walking distance if it were physically possible to get there on foot safely. All the extra little car-trips that occur as a consequence add up to a lot of extra traffice and pollution.
The lack of pedestrian and bicycle friendly options also subtly and subliminally reinforces an attitude that the automobile should be "king" and anything else on the road needs to make way.
Once again, the holistic view of the important relationship between transportation, lifestyle, safety, economy, and community is not being taken. Maryland can and should do much better...
crasherzz (11/17/2009, 11:30 AM )