Florida Pedestrians Beware

Florida cities ranked one, two, three and four in order of most dangerous cities for pedestrians in the United States, according to a recent study, Dangerous by Design, by Transportation for America, a nonprofit safety advocacy organization. The cities are ranked as follows:

1. Orlando-Kissimmee, FL
2. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
3. Jacksonville, FL
4. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL

David Goldberg, communications director for the organization has characterized this reality as follows, "So much of Florida has been built up so quickly in that era of the automobile-oriented design; it's this sort of the boomer phenomenon, the tendency there has been to build the big wide arterials; you have these long superblocks and you can get up to a good speed."

What is good for cars is not so good for pedestrians. And Transport for America points out that pedestrian injuries and fatal accidents across Florida are often not truly "accidental" at all. The emphasis on designing cities, streets and shopping areas for the benefit of cars at the detriment of pedestrians carries with it a real price a price; a lack of pedestrian safety resulting in numerous deaths. A recent New York Times story details the difficulty of using bus stops and the nonexistence of crosswalks in many areas of Florida. Particularly problematic are the long distances between intersections, which encourage pedestrians to attempt to cross roads while traffic is often moving at speeds of 60 mph or more.

Nationwide Deaths

Dangerous by Design describes the death toll of more than 47,700 pedestrians in the years from 2000 through 2009, as "the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of passengers crashing roughly every month." In addition, more than 688,000 pedestrians were injured over the course of a decade, a number equivalent to a pedestrian being struck by a car or truck every 7 minutes.

In 2009, deaths of vehicle occupants had fallen to the lowest level in 50 years, but the report notes that in many cities, including 15 of the country's largest metro areas, pedestrian fatalities have actually increased. Vehicle occupant deaths have fallen due to concerted campaigns to improve vehicle and highway safety. Pedestrian safety has received little attention and the report argues the pedestrian deaths share a common feature; they occur on "arterial" roadways that were dangerous by design, with no concern for pedestrians, those in wheelchairs or on bicycles. Until Florida addresses these design features, pedestrians will continue to suffer unacceptable consequences.