Pedestrian accidents are a significant public health problem in California and are one of the leading causes of fatal and hospitalized injuries for children statewide. Pedestrian fatalities alone accounted for nearly 20 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the state, even though only eight percent of all trips are made on foot.

The number of pedestrians killed as a percentage of total traffic fatalities ranged as high as 26 percent in Sacramento County, 30 percent in Los Angeles County, and 54 percent in San Francisco County. Yet California spends less than one percent of its federal transportation funds on pedestrian safety, less than any other state in the nation. Ironically, the most visible effort statewide related to pedestrians has been the highly controversial removal of crosswalks under the guise of improved safety.

The Victims

Prior research, supported here with a new analysis by the Latino Issues Forum, also shows that low-income populations are more likely to be victims in pedestrian accidents. While the higher risk for low-income populations has been documented in dozens of studies conducted by health professionals here and abroad, this information has largely been absent from the public debate over pedestrian safety in California.

Other studies show that pedestrian injuries and deaths, particularly among children, are correlated to income and several other socioeconomic factors including access to a car. Factors include unemployment, single-parent and especially female-headed households, young mothers, low levels of education, the number of times a family has moved, and the number of children in a household. More than one study found that lack of access to a car was associated with a doubling of the risk of injury as a pedestrian.

The Response

For decades state and local governments have focused transportation policy and investments on accommodating more traffic by widening streets, increasing speed limits, removing crosswalks and enacting laws that give vehicles the advantage Ð such as allowing right turns on a red light. Meantime rapid suburbanization has dramatically increased traffic and spread development patterns ever further apart so that stores, homes, schools and other destinations are no longer easily accessible on foot. The result has been deadly for pedestrians.

Studies show that traffic speed and traffic volume are two of the environmental factors with the highest correlation to pedestrian injury and death. One of the more disturbing trends in California is the removal of crosswalks at uncontrolled intersections (intersections without a stop sign or traffic signal), a policy that has left pedestrians to largely fend for themselves.

An analysis of federal transportation funding shows that while California has the second highest share of pedestrian deaths compared to all traffic-related fatalities, it ranks last among the 50 states in spending on pedestrians. While an average of $40 per person in federal transportation funds was spent on highway projects statewide, an average of just 4 cents per person was spent on improving conditions for pedestrians.

Solutions

The report summarizes new policies and investments that can make California's cities, towns and suburbs safe and walkable. The report's recommendations include:

• Dedicate a fair share of traffic safety funding to pedestrians. Pedestrian accidents cost California nearly $4 billion in 1999 alone, while spending on pedestrian safety measures is a mere fraction of that figure. If 20 percent of all traffic fatalities are pedestrians, it stands to reason that a similar amount of safety funding should be directed toward solving the problem.

• Suspend California's crosswalk removal policy. The trend toward removing crosswalks due to the belief that they give pedestrians a false sense of security is like removing traffic signals so that motorists will proceed with greater caution. State agencies need to do more for pedestrians, not less. California should develop a new minimum design standard for crosswalks that includes "zebra" striping and overhead lighting or flashing signals.

• Consider pedestrians during the design phase of every project. Communities must be designed so that people have a place to walk to, which means that shops, offices, schools, libraries and transit stops are located within reasonable walking distance. All facilities should be designed for the disabled and meet basic standards established in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

• Collect more information on pedestrians. Existing databases provide little information about the amount of pedestrian activity in different locations, the risks associated with walking, the effectiveness of pedestrian safety measures, or even how much is spent on pedestrian safety. This lack of information makes pinpointing underlying problems and solutions difficult.

• Develop a statewide blueprint for bicycling and walking. California needs a statewide vision and strategy for maximizing the benefits of bicycling and walking that includes goals and an action plan for all levels of government. This includes targeted strategies like Safe Routes to School programs, as well as an economic analysis of the potential benefits of bicycle tourism, regional trail systems and more pedestrian-oriented developments.

Read the California Press Release or the Los Angeles Press Release