Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about pedestrian safety

Can you find the jaywalkers? Image: Chris Nelson/Twitter

Edmonton Traffic Safety PSAs Blame Jaywalkers, But Stats Tell a Different Story

By Stephen Miller | May 12, 2017 | No Comments

Chris Nelson used Edmonton's own motor vehicle collision data to make a chart showing who -- or, more often, what -- is on the receiving end when Edmonton motorists crash their cars. It quickly dispels any rationale for focusing on jaywalking.

While the total number of Chicago traffic fatalities has fallen significantly since 2004, the number of pedestrian fatalities is still in the same ballpark as it was more than a decade ago. Graph: Steven Vance

Even as Total Chicago Crash Fatalities Dropped, the Percentage of Pedestrian Deaths Grew

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | May 1, 2017 | 5 Comments

New IDOT crash data makes it more clear than ever that we need to prioritize improving safety for vulnerable road users.

Ana leads Murphy Elementary students across Elston. Photo: John Greenfield

Ana the Crossing Guard Confronts Dangerous Drivers to Keep Kids Safe

By John Greenfield | Apr 27, 2017 | 1 Comment

Despite infrastructure improvements and the best efforts of city workers like Ana, we need to do more to ensure that the rights and safety of pedestrians are respected.

One of Sacramento's poorest neighborhoods doesn't have enough crosswalks. It also has a high rate of jaywalking arrests. Image: KXTV

What Will It Take for Sacramento to Make Walking Safer in Poor Neighborhoods?

By Stephen Miller | Apr 27, 2017 | No Comments

Police and city planners in Sacramento have come under scrutiny in the weeks since police were caught on tape assaulting Nandi Cain, Jr., a black man, during a jaywalking stop. Cain, who was legally using an unmarked crosswalk, has since filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city. Now, reporters are looking into why there are so few marked crosswalks in one of Sacramento's poorest areas.

When a driver ran into a crowd of protestors in Minneapolis, injuring a 16-year-old girl, he was charged only with minor traffic offenses. Photo: KTSP

North Dakota May Make It Legal to Run Over Protesters

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 19, 2017 | No Comments

North Dakota state rep Keith Kempenich has had enough of people exercising their right to assembly and free expression. In response to the protests at Standing Rock, Kempenich has introduced legislation to shield drivers from penalty who unintentionally strike a pedestrian "obstructing vehicular traffic."

Awful Pedestrian Shaming Campaign Gets the Smackdown It Deserves

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 7, 2016 | No Comments

This PSA from Montgomery County, Maryland, has got to be one of the all-time worst examples of pedestrian shaming. The young girl with tire treads across her face, it’s implied, was struck and killed by a driver because she was “wearing black.” The message was the county’s response to two recent pedestrian fatalities. According to the county, police will […]

Streets Without Sidewalks Are Killing Florida Pedestrians

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 9, 2016 | No Comments

Florida is the most dangerous state in the nation for pedestrians, according to Transportation for America. More than 5,100 people were killed while walking in the state between 2003 and 2010, and four Florida cities rated among T4A’s list of the most dangerous for walking. But to its credit, the Florida Department of Transportation is trying to change that. A new study […]

Artist Takes a Crack at Improving Crosswalk Safety With Piñata Bump-Outs

By John Greenfield | Aug 8, 2016 | 2 Comments

You might not think that someone from Provo, Utah (population 116,288), would have much to tell Chicagoans about pedestrian safety issues, but artist Susan Krueger-Barber is bringing a fresh approach to tactical urbanism to our city to highlight the dangers to people on foot. As an MFA student at the Art Institute of Chicago, this […]

3 Graphs That Explain Why 20 MPH Should Be the Limit on City Streets

By Angie Schmitt | May 31, 2016 | No Comments

Speed kills, especially on city streets teeming with pedestrians and cyclists. The investigative news nonprofit ProPublica has produced an interactive graph that deftly conveys how just a few miles per hour can spell the difference between life and death when a person is struck by a motorist. ProPublica’s Lena Groeger used data from the AAA Safety Foundation to chart the plummeting […]

Star-Crossed Crosswalks: Peds Will Have to Wait for Safe Passage in Lakeview

By John Greenfield | May 13, 2016 | 10 Comments

Yesterday there was some good news about the intersection of Newport Avenue and Southport Avenue, located half a block north of the Brown Line’s Southport stop: New crosswalk coming soon to #SouthportCorridor at Newport! Thanks @AldTomTunney & @ChicagoDOT! pic.twitter.com/qJX6H3cCyV — Lakeview Chamber (@ThisIsLakeview) May 12, 2016 However, it didn’t turn out to be accurate news. […]

After Driver Injures Senior at Devon/Greenview, City May Fix Intersection

By John Greenfield | Apr 9, 2016 | 14 Comments

On Wednesday at around 4 p.m. a motorist struck and injured an elderly woman at the intersection of Devon and Greenview, on the border between Edgewater and Rogers Park. The woman who was struck is 70 years old and she was taken to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition, according to Officer Kevin Quaid from […]

CDOT, 46th Ward, and the Chamber Discuss the Broadway Right-Turn Ban

By John Greenfield | Mar 10, 2016 | 7 Comments

Since Monday, when I wrote about the controversial new right-turn ban at Grace/Halsted/Broadway, I’ve gotten background from the key players about how this change came about. The Chicago Department of Transportation recently put up “Do Not Enter” and “No Right Turn” signs by the slip lane that previously allowed drivers to make quick turns from […]

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