Most Dangerous Places for Pedestrians ~ Article

**bumplett** · 07-18-2011, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by 227melissa

I'm sorry I do not consider Florida or Texas the south. Florida is nothing but transplants/retirees and Texas they think they are not part of the union . sorry I mean no offense. We have bike riders get killed here all the time in Mobile. but no too many pedestrians.

No offense taken here, but you can't change geography.

"south" is any state below the mason-dixon line. Doesn't matter where people transplant from.

**moasmom** · 07-18-2011, 12:56 PM

For years, whenever we take out-of-towners around San Francisco (which is a very walkable city), I always mention that they should pay attention and be careful since it's the number 1 city for pedestrian death. Apparently I need to quit saying that because SF didn't even make the top 10!

I love to walk in SF and generally feel very safe, but one does have to use common sense and pay attention to the cars at all times. That said, I hate driving in SF, partly because of the traffic and other drivers, but also because of the pedestrians. They tend to launch themselves in front of cars. Eek!

Kara

**just-me-in-tn** · 07-18-2011, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by 227melissa

I'm sorry I do not consider Florida or Texas the south. Florida is nothing but transplants/retirees and Texas they think they are not part of the union . sorry I mean no offense. We have bike riders get killed here all the time in Mobile. but no too many pedestrians.

I'm with you. FL is just Yankee transplants and TX - well, even they admit "it's a whole other country." I don't consider KY a Southern state, either. They can't decide whether they want to be a Southern state or a Midwestern state and the sad thing is - neither side wants them.

(And, honestly, after growing up in Alabama, I don't even really consider TN a Southern state and I've been here 20 years. It's still not "home" and never will be.)

**Joshin** · 07-18-2011, 07:03 PM

We didn't make the list, but our problem here is the city is too pedestrian friendly. I know that sounds crazy, but people walk in the streets (though there are sidewalks everywhere) and jaywalk constantly. The police briefly did a ticketing campaign against jaywalkers, but it was short lived. If a motorist hits a pedestrian, even one who is jaywalking, the motorist is usually at fault. This leads to a lot of hit and runs since people are scared, even when it is the pedestrian's fault. I have lived in quite a few places and have never seed anything quite like it. People purposely wait to step out in front of you, or can't walk the half block to the nearest cross walk, and then they wonder why they get hit.

We could use a few more bike lines on the main roads, but cyclists around here are pretty good at following the traffic rules. We have a low speed limit and minimal traffic, so bikes don't really slow anyone down but the speeders.

**KeithBC** · 07-18-2011, 10:55 PM

I live in a rural area, which is both good and bad for being a pedestrian. Good because traffic tends to be light, except when a load of ferry traffic blows by. Bad because there are no sidewalks, people drive like maniacs, and they aren't expecting pedestrians.

DW and I are considered strange here because we like to walk. To me, it's a no-brainer. We happen to live close enough to walk "downtown", so why wouldn't we? We actually enjoy walking home at night after a meeting. We'll wear our reflective vests and carry our flashlights, and we'll stop along the way to look at the stars and listen to the frogs chorusing.

After living in a big city, where she had to commute by train and bus to work through some unsavoury parts of town, she finds it a treat to be able to walk alone at night without fear of being molested.

I recently purchased an electric bike to make quick trips to the store or to meetings more practical. All the same considerations apply to bikes as to walking.

**bumplett** · 07-19-2011, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by Joshin

We didn't make the list, but our problem here is the city is too pedestrian friendly. I know that sounds crazy, but people walk in the streets (though there are sidewalks everywhere) and jaywalk constantly. The police briefly did a ticketing campaign against jaywalkers, but it was short lived. If a motorist hits a pedestrian, even one who is jaywalking, the motorist is usually at fault. This leads to a lot of hit and runs since people are scared, even when it is the pedestrian's fault. I have lived in quite a few places and have never seed anything quite like it. People purposely wait to step out in front of you, or can't walk the half block to the nearest cross walk, and then they wonder why they get hit.

We could use a few more bike lines on the main roads, but cyclists around here are pretty good at following the traffic rules. We have a low speed limit and minimal traffic, so bikes don't really slow anyone down but the speeders.

kinda gives new meaning to 'lazy' doesn't it???

**melodys** · 07-20-2011, 10:07 AM

I was pleasantly surprised when I moved to the Seattle area to find that it was so safe for pedestrians and bicyclists. It took me a little while to get used to the fact that they just go into the crosswalks and full expect (correctly so) that traffic will stop.

It seems to me that there are a several things that go into this. First is that pedestrians and bicyclists are often getting rained on and we all know what that is like. The PNW is very eco friendly so there is respect for those who get around on their own power. The very polite culture in the area, and the fact that the police will actively ticket both pedestrians who jaywalk and cars that enter a crosswalk while someone is walking there.