'Mean Streets' Of America

"The Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP)’s Mean Streets 2004 study issued this morning reveals that walking remains the most dangerous mode of transportation, and some areas of the country are becoming markedly more dangerous.

The study, released by STPP in conjunction with AARP, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, American Planning Association, American Public Health Association (APHA), American Society of Landscape Architects, prominent local and state policymakers who are leaders on pedestrian safety and numerous state and local transportation advocates, assesses the data and recommends specific actions that governments can take to increase pedestrian safety.

Mean Streets 2004 recommends upgrading sidewalks, signals, streets and other pedestrian infrastructure already in place to improve the pedestrian environment, putting more emphasis on pedestrian safety in the decision-making process for future transportation plans, slowing down traffic through traffic-calming and enforcement, and promoting walking as a transportation alternative. The report also recommends that states allocate a higher share of federal transportation dollars to pedestrian safety."

[Links to entire report and fact sheets for each U.S. state.]

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan