So, Just How Dangerous Are Dallas and Fort Worth's Streets for Pedestrians, Anyway?

By Robert Wilonsky Wed., Nov. 25 2009 at 10:58 AM

Categories: News

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff draws our attention this morning to a report released last week by, among others, Transportation For America, which rates how dangerous big cities' streets are for those who walk near them. In the study, titled Dangerous By Design, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington comes in at No. 13, with an average of 1.47 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents, which puts us between Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord and Detroit-Warren-Livonia. So, what accounts for the ranking? Streets designed for cars, not people -- where you been? Says the study, by way of introduction:

In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Children, the elderly and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in this figure, but people of all ages and all walks of life have been struck down in the simple act of walking. These deaths typically are labeled "accidents," and attributed to error on the part of motorist or pedestrian. In fact, however, an overwhelming proportion share a similar factor: They occurred along roadways that were dangerous by design, streets that were engineered for speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on a bicycle.

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