In Search of a City: Driving’s Crazy
Selling the car and moving into the city may be one of the most effective ways to minimize your risk of a violent death or injury. In a January 4 article entitled “America’s chief menace: driving”, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Americans are far more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a car accident than harmed by a criminal.
This article reminded me of another article I read several years ago about a study in Seattle. The study looked at two kinds of violent death: death by car and death by homicide. The study compared the rate of violent death in the most affluent suburb of Seattle with the rate of violent death in the most crime-ridden city neighborhood. The chances of experiencing a violent death were greater in the affluent suburb.
Columbus has many urban neighborhoods with some of the region’s lowest crime rates that do not require use of a car. I know where I want my kids to be.
Tags: Public Transportation, Transportation, urban neighborhoods
January 5th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Cleve,
I was struck by this article as well (OK perhaps “struck” isn’t the best verb to use). I was surprised the tips given in the article to reduce automotive-related crashes all related to driver-behavior changes, which will help, but not one indicated other infrastructure-related transitions that may have far greater outcomes such as: improving walkability and bicycling facilities, building in traffic calming and increasing access to public transit *(i.e., less driving).
January 12th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
This is a point that really needs to be raised on a large scale and I’m glad to see it in the Dispatch. I already know about this because I’m somewhat well-read when it comes to urban planning related books, but I’m guessing most people aren’t, even those who live in urban areas. If you could find that article it would be much appreciated, but I’ll try to see what I can dig up.
In any case, victims of homicides are by and large those committing the homicides: gang members. I speak as someone who has biked down E Main, Cleveland Ave, W. Broad, Parsons, etc during the day. While there aren’t many reasons to visit these streets (aside from a few restaurants and the new bar on Parsons) I haven’t been mugged or shot at despite common perceptions from people who would never dare set foot in these neighborhoods. It’s a shame we write off of entire areas of the city.
I also have to agree about the disappointment in the very small-scale improvements mentioned in the article. Telling people not to speed when our traffic engineers are given the objective of speed over safety when designing and re-designing our roads means very little. This is a very important fact that is overlooked. Traffic engineers know that a wide road, as well as wide lanes, encourage most drivers to speed. It is speeding that is the cause of many collisions since there is much less reaction time and a much higher chance of serious injury or death when they do occur. Our traffic engineers know this too, yet many road projects currently being undertaken are encouraging just that. Drivers are only driving the way traffic engineers want them to, by and large.
http://pubserv.ci.columbus.oh.us/transportation/PROJECT_OVERVIEWS.htm
Unfortunately, this has not been addressed by the mayor or city council yet and I hope they will even if that means halting such projects in mid-construction. For arterial streets where the highest number of serious collisions occur at intersections: these roads need to be designed for traffic to travel *at* 35 MPH and a sign alone does little to nothing since the design of the road itself tells drivers how fast they should be traveling. Another fact that any traffic engineer should know.
http://www2.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/Worst_Franklin_County_Intersections_Revealed/16405/
For city streets, Downtown is still plagued with high-speed oneways and the vacant retail spots that have accompanied them for decades, despite the clear evidence Gay St. provides that a pedestrian-friendly street that accommodates cars does in fact attract businesses and developers. Sure there are crosswalks on streets like N 4th, but unless traffic is at a stand still you’d really need to have a death wish to use them among moving traffic. And yet again, traffic engineers know very well that sticking a crosswalk on a busy road doesn’t magically make a safe crossing for pedestrians. Such mini-highways have no place in an urban setting; Downtown is not Polaris.
While safer streets have been a priority for N High from Downtown to Clintonville, Gay St, and a couple other streets Downtown, similar treatment needs to be a priority for other major roads which have been suburbanized/optimized for speeding traffic. Make those streets safer and the number of serious injuries and deaths will drop quite dramatically and more people will feel confident in choosing transportation alternatives such as bikes, scooters, and walking. *If* city leadership feels it’s worth prioritizing, that is.