A hearing on pedestrian infrastructure in Dallas—which is proving exceptionally deadly this year—reveals the sharp political divide on how to make streets safe for walking.
"So far in 2015, 32 pedestrians have been killed while trying to cross Dallas streets — the same number killed during all of 2014, according to a briefing presented to the Dallas City Council’s Public Safety Committee," reports Robert Wilonsky.
The rub: some have a difference of opinion of why so many pedestrians have died. "That very same briefing, prepared and presented by Dallas police and the Department of Street Services, maintains that 24 of this year’s fatalities were caused when a pedestrian failed to yield to a vehicle. And, further down: 'A majority of pedestrian fatalities in the City are due to pedestrian error.'"
On the other side of the argument is Council member Philip Kingston, who says "pedestrians aren’t to blame when they get run over. It’s 'the infrastructure that places the pedestrian in harm’s way' that’s to blame. 'It’s not people being stupid,' he said. Beat. 'Occasionally, sure.' But not always. Not most of the time."
FULL STORY: As fatalities rise, says Philip Kingston, Dallas must stop ‘building streets that hurt pedestrians’
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