DOT Secy LaHood: pedestrian safety will be addressed

T4America study spurs new look

David Crossley, Nov 17, 09.

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday pledged that the Department of Transportation 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.

The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area came in as the 8th most dangerous for walking in 2007-2008 according to the report, Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Death (and Making Great Neighborhoods), which ranks metropolitan areas based on the relative danger of walking and provides recommendations for making roadways safer for pedestrians.