Thread by @GreaterOhio

As October draws to a close, it’s once again time for GOPC’s annual look into the scariest, creepiest, most sinister thing around: the alarming rise in roadway fatalities. Prepare yourselves, if you dare, for #SpookyStreets

Even as vehicle miles driven dropped by 13% in 2020, preliminary estimates by @NCSsafety indicate that the rate of death on the roads spiked 24% over the previous 12mo period.

nsc.org/newsroom/motor…

What’s worse: the trend seems to have continued into 2021. @NSCsafety estimates total motor-vehicle deaths for the first 6mo of 2021 were 21,450, up 16% from 2020 and up 17% from 2019.

While mileage rebounded from 2020 lows, VMT lags nearly 6% behind 2019 levels #GOPCThread
injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/…

While lower, @NHTSAgov estimates for roadway deaths still show a 10.5% increase between Jan-March 2021 compared to the same months last year. @mbolotnikova looked at this issue extensively in a recent article for @voxdotcom #GOPCThread

vox.com/22675358/us-ca…

What do things look like in #Ohio? Bad. Things look pretty bad. A study by Ohio State researchers looked just at Franklin County and found traffic volumes declined by +60% between Feb-May 2020 but fatal auto crashes more than doubled #GOPCThread

news.wosu.org/news/2021-09-2…

Looking at pedestrians and bicyclists, @ODOT_Statewide reports that 14 bicyclists and 114 pedestrians have been killed since Oct. 14, compared to 11 cyclists and 121 pedestrian deaths at this time last year #GOPCThread

The past two years fit into a decade-long pattern: the number of pedestrian fatalities continues to climb year after year, with fatalities up 45% from 2010 to 2019 according to @SmartGrowthUSA ‘s biannual Dangerous by Design report

smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-d…

These alarming numbers remain in the background as we head into the #Halloween weekend, which has historically been an unusually deadly day for pedestrians, especially children #GOPCThread

So what gives? How can roadway deaths keep rising even when fewer vehicles occupy the roadways? Could it be the roads themselves?!? #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread

Many of the leading experts agree, faster vehicle speeds make for more dangerous roadways. With less congestion on the roads last year, drivers were able to speed through the streets #GOPCThread

Speed isn’t just a function of traffic; the interaction between engineering, legal, and driver performance factors influence operating speeds. Unfortunately, too many streets are designed to optimize operating speed or reduce driver risk, both of which impact safety #GOPCThread

And in case you needed another reminder that excess speeds have deadly consequences for pedestrians, here’s a handy graphic from @NHTSAgov originally shared by our friends at @TMACOG #GOPCThread

So what elements of roadway design impact roadway safety? Our Project Manager (who is NOT a graphic designer) is back to show off some #SpookyStreets

Roadway design often centers driver visibility by pushing setbacks and removing ‘distractions’ from the sightline. Creating a false sense of security, this encourages faster driving, to the detriment of individuals on the road margins #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread

Road maintenance and construction are an unavoidable part of civilized living. What IS avoidable is having construction activity encroach into pedestrian spaces, which forces unnecessary interactions between cars and people #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread

Any time a pedestrian has to cross the roadway, their risk of getting hit by a vehicle increases. Clearly marking crosswalks with paint, lights, signs, or even raising the crosswalk itself, create greater visibility for pedestrians #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread

We can’t ignore the equity impacts of dangerously designed roads. Researchers frequently see Black and American Indian individuals, seniors, and pedestrians in low-income neighborhoods disproportionately killed at higher rates #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread @SmartGrowthUSA

What will fix this issue? Probably not outdated ‘safety campaigns’ that stress changing pedestrian behavior and reducing distractions as the solution to bad design #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread

.@StrongTowns covered the impact of a lot of these design elements and more in a recent video #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread

As bleak as it all is, some communities are creating improvements. @CityofAthensOH and @ohiou received requests to improve safety and congestion issues at a crosswalk in the vicinity of Grover Center and Porter Hall. The redesign improves ped safety #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread

.@ohiou worked in even more improvements into the Richland Ave redesign by separating pedestrians from vehicle traffic by elevating the roadway and creating a wide, well-lit passageway underneath it for pedestrians #SpookyStreets #GOPCThread ohio.edu/transportation…

Active transportation plans can go a long way towards assessing a community’s landscape, but all safety projects can expand their scope to keep pedestrians in mind. Look at what @cityofdayton is planning to improve safety for all road users on N Main St bit.ly/3baZnP3

Finally, @ODOTStatewide released that state’s 1st active transportation plan last year. #WalkBikeOhio defines short-term activities to provide resources & leadership to make walking and biking in #OH safe, convenient, and accessible.

Catch our previous #GOPCThread on the plan here

Will communities ever be able to conquer their #SpookyStreets? Things look good as more communities get serious about reducing death rates. The first step is to accept that roadway deaths are not inevitable #GOPCThread

As always, GOPC wishes everyone a happy, and above all safe, #Halloween as you walk, bike, or fly your way into spooky fun #GOPCThread