Thread by @ThomasinKC

It appears likely @cityofnkc may decide to remove their brand-new complete street improvements on Armour Road in response to complaints about slower traffic. The 6pm Oct 15 public meeting will be filled with anecdotes, but this seems like a good time to review some research:

@cityofnkc Let’s start with safety: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tells us that pedestrian fatalities across the country have increased by 35% over the past decade, far out of proportion to increases in walking and driving.

nhtsa.gov/research-data/…

@cityofnkc A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (a car-focused organization) found that pedestrians hit by a car traveling 20mph have a 17% chance of severe injury or death. That increases to 79% when hit by a car traveling 40mph. Speed matters.

aaafoundation.org/impact-speed-p…

@cityofnkc Research by the Federal Highway Administration (not exactly a bastion of walking and biking advocacy) shows that converting a street from four car lanes to three car lanes with a “road diet” can reduce crashes by 47%.

fhwa.dot.gov/publications/r…

@cityofnkc The Federal Highway Administration also found that high visibility crosswalk markings can reduce pedestrian crashes by 48%.

pedbikesafe.org/PEDSAFE/docume…

@cityofnkc Research also shows that walking and biking become safer as the number of people walking and biking increases. Doubling the amount of walking and biking in a community will reduce an individual's risk of getting hit by a car by 44%.

injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/9/3/205

@cityofnkc People aged 50 years and older are 35% more likely than an average person to be killed as a pedestrian, even accounting for walking rates and population size. The risk increases even more at older ages.

smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-d…

@cityofnkc People of color are 48% more likely than white, non-Hispanic people to be killed as a pedestrian, even accounting for walking rates and population size.

smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-d…

@cityofnkc Low-income communities (with household median income less than $37,000) experience 68% more pedestrian fatalities per person than the national average.

smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-d…

@cityofnkc Complete streets are also about supporting the local economy: A household earning the median income Kansas City region spend approximately 23% of its income on transportation costs - nearly as much as is spent on housing.

htaindex.cnt.org

@cityofnkc AAA reports that the average annual cost of owning a car is approximately $9,282. Complete streets that make alternatives to driving viable enable people to spend this money on other needs and keep their dollars in the local community.

aaa.com/AAA/common/AAR…

@cityofnkc A study of customer spending showed that while bike customers spend less per visit than customers who drive, they tend to visit businesses more often and spend more money over time.

pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewconten…

@cityofnkc A study of high-quality bicycle facilities indicated that each additional 1/4 mile of bike infrastructure within a 1/2 mile radius increased the value of single family homes by $4,039, after accounting for different house and neighborhood characteristics.

core.ac.uk/download/pdf/8…

@cityofnkc 60% of all car trips in the United States are less than five miles. 21% of all car trips are less than 1 mile. These are opportunities to take cars off the road and reduce congestion.

nhts.ornl.gov

@cityofnkc Our infrastructure shapes our health. People with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home are 56% more likely to meet recommended activity levels than those without safe places to walk.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

@cityofnkc Residents are 65% percent more likely to walk in a neighborhood with sidewalks.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12113436

@cityofnkc People in walkable neighborhoods did about 40 more minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week and were substantially less likely to be overweight or obese than similar people living in low-walkable neighborhoods.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19232809

@cityofnkc Regular walking and biking reduce the rate of all-cause mortality by 10%, even after accounting for other physical activity.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25344355

@cityofnkc 32% of Americans do not drive, including children, adolescents, many older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals. These people deserve safe options to get where they need to go.

nhts.ornl.gov

@cityofnkc Commuters who walk or bike to work report a level of satisfaction and well-being with their commute 2.7 times higher than those who drive alone.

web.pdx.edu/~jbroach/654/h…

@cityofnkc Finally, 84% of Americans favor using a portion of transportation funding to design streets with sidewalks, safe crossing and other devices to reduce speeding in residential areas and make it safer to walk, even if this means driving more slowly.

activeliving.org/files/pedpoll_…