Smart Growth America has released a report showing pedestrian deaths between 2003 and 2012. According the the report:
- 723 people were killed while walking in Alabama
- 7.2% of all 10,061 traffic fatalities were pedestrians
- 49 Children under 16 and 93 adults over 65
- 72.9% of these deaths occurred on roadways with speed limits of 40% or higher
- African Americans are twice as likely as non-hispanic whites to perish as a pedestrian.
- Mobile, AL has the highest Annual Pedestrian deaths per 100k of any other city in Alabama. Mobile has over 3 deaths per year per 100,000 people, compared to second place, Columbus/Phenix City, which has just over 2 deaths/100,000
If you look at our roadways, it’s clear why we have so many deaths! Mobile’s roads were built with little thought for pedestrian/bicycle traffic. Speed limits are unreasonably high, road lanes are unnecessarily wide which encourages speeding, and there are few crosswalks/sidewalks. The city, county, state, and federal governments are ultimately culpable for these deaths by building unsafe public roadways. How many more people have to die, before our leaders stop only looking at traffic models and suburban expansionism and start building/repairing streets for ALL uses.
Read more the report here:
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/research/dangerous-by-design/dbd2014/state/alabama/