Make Metro Orlando’s Streets Safer For Pedestrians
I was pleasantly surprised to see Dan Burden’s guest editorial on pedestrian safety in today’s Orlando Sentinel. Here is the link. As many of you know, Dan is a world-renown pedestrian safety and walkable community advocate. His editorial is timely, on target, helpful and appreciated. I urge you to read his editorial, pass it on to your friends, and insist your local community adopt a plan to create safer and more pedestrian friendly streets. As Dan points out, Metro Orlando is one of the most dangerous places in the country for pedestrians, and the recent crashes which killed and injured children in Orlando and Kissimmee highlight the urgent need for action to correct this deplorable condition.
As you are probably aware, I’m working to make our streets safer one problem area at a time. If you are interested and can help, please contact me. There will be another crosswalk workshop soon. Thanks to all who have helped in the past. Together we can make a difference.
Bill wrote:
“As Dan points out, Metro Orlando is one of the most dangerous places in the country for pedestrians…”
Kevin’s comment:
Actually, what Dan wrote was “…the Orlando area is the country’s deadliest place for pedestrians.” Dan refers to Transportation for America’s 2010 report, “Dangerous by Design.” The report may be found at:
http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign/
The top four most lethal cities in the USA are all in Florida, with Orlando-Kissimmee having the dubious honour of being the most dangerous place in the USA.
I think it’s important to note that the Orlando-Kissimmee mtropolitan area should not be confused with the City of Orlando. The Orlando-Kissimmee metropolitan area is around 2.2 million people and is approximately 2500 square miles – it is comprised of 3 counties, ~20 municipalities and many so-called ‘rural settlements’.
By contrast the City of Orlando has a population of ~230K people and is 111 square miles. The City is quite proactive and has a development code that supports walkability.
For sure, the City of Orlando has its issues with regard to bicycle and pedestrian safety, but it’s the larger metro area that is seriously lacking and where most of the fatalities occur.