This month, pedestrian and bicycle fatalities are again in the spotlight, both nationally and locally. Below are highlights from news at both the local and national level. At the local level, we've included the News-Press story on pedestrian fatalities, along with Dan Moser's comments to reporter. Second, we've included the updated graphs that tell the story of trends in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in Lee County (2000 to 2013 to-date) [Note--these are already out of date, as each day seems to see more pedestrian fatalities...at 20 as of 11/24/13.] At the national level, we've included several pieces: the NHSTA 2012 Traffic Fatalities Report; a heart-wrenching video from NYC about their recent pedestrian fatalities; a Sunday New York Time's commentary about the lack of consequences for killing cyclists, and a response article; an important piece suggesting that the "Broken Windows" strategy could cut down on traffic deaths, too; and an excellent new guide for designing safer streets, based on NYC's analysis of its crash data and actions taken to address the problems.
Note: blog post updated on 11/23/13 with additional articles.
LOCAL NEWS:
1. News-Press Nov. 15, 2013 story on pedestrian fatalities and Dan Moser's comments
1 (a): Dan Moser Comments
From: bikepedmoser@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 6:43 AM
To: mkendall@news-press.com
Subject: Pedestrian Fatalities Story
Hi Marisa,
I'm disappointed that you didn't challenge the comments of
law enforcement that the carnage on our roads is due to pedestrians not using
crosswalks. That logic is totally faulty and only feeds into the
mentality we as drivers have - that we can drive with impunity and ignore the
vulnerable road users if they dare make any misjudgments. Not only that,
but in many cases where collisions occur near unsignalized intersections, the
pedestrian victim may have been in an unmarked crosswalk. That appears to
be the case in the Winkler Road double-fatality. But LE [law enforcement] nor drivers
acknowledge the existence of unmarked crosswalks (see below*).
Please... discuss how the News-Press
could be part of the solution to this ongoing problem rather than adding fuel
to the fire.
Thanks...Dan
*Crosswalk Definition: (a) That part of a roadway at an
intersection included within the connections of the lateral lines of the
sidewalks* on opposite sides of the highway, measured from the curbs or, in the
absence of curbs, from the traversable roadway” or “(b) Any portion of a
roadway at an intersection or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian
crossing by lines or other markings on the surface”. (FSS 316.003(6)(*My
note: an actual sidewalk need not be present; the sidewalk refers to any space
within the right-of-way between the roadway travel lane(s) and private
property.)
1 (b): News-Press, November 15, 2013
Recent pedestrians mishaps blamed on not using crosswalks
Written by Marisa Kendall
Nine people are dead or seriously injured following a string
of pedestrian and bicycle crashes over the past month — and law enforcement
says in most of those cases, the injured parties are to blame.
In the recent cases and beyond, the pedestrian is usually at
fault for not using a crosswalk, Fort Myers police Lt. Jay Rodriguez said. In
the city, Palm Beach Boulevard and Cleveland Avenue (U.S. 41) are especially
deadly areas.
“If you see it on 41, it’s like Frogger out there,”
Rodriguez said referring to the video game. “They don’t use crosswalks. They
cross in the middle of the roadway.”
Two pedestrians were killed within 12 hours Wednesday.
Around 9 a.m., Patrick Joseph Coady, 58, of Cape Coral, entered the path of an
oncoming semi as he was putting air in his tire on the side of Pine Island Road
in North Fort Myers.
Around 7:40 p.m., Teresa Aaron, 75, of Estero, walked in
front of a station wagon while trying to cross Estero Parkway near Cypress View
Drive. She was not in a crosswalk, according to Lee County deputies, and the
driver couldn’t see her. A family member told Lee County deputies Aaron
suffered from dementia, according to the crash report.
Rodriguez said the recent string of crashes indicates the
start of season in Southwest Florida.
“More cars, more crashes,” Rodriguez said.
Fort Myers has seen nine fatal crashes from January through
October, according to spokeswoman Shelly Flynn. Three of the victims were
pedestrians.
In Lee County, there have been 68 fatal crashes so far this
year, compared with 51 at this point last year, according to the Florida
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. A breakout of pedestrian
crashes was not available. In Collier County, there have been 31 fatal crashes
so far this year, and 31 at this point last year.
There have been 15 fatal crashes in Cape Coral in 2013,
compared to 10 all of last year, according to Sgt. Dana Coston.
“We’ve had a particularly bad year for crashes in Cape
Coral,” he said.
Of the eight pedestrian or bicycle crashes that left nine
victims dead or injured this past month, the driver has been blamed in one.
Frank Pizzurro, 41, of Fort Myers, was arrested Oct. 31 on a
felony charge for leaving the scene of a crash involving death. Police said he
fled after hitting pedestrian Juan Aranda, 61, on Cleveland Avenue.
Jay Anderson, executive director of Stay Alive ... Just
Drive! said drivers can do more to avoid hitting pedestrians and bicyclists.
Rodriguez agreed that drivers often pay more attention to
their GPS or cellphone than the road.
Two weeks ago he had to stop a seasonal resident going the
wrong way down a one-way street at McGregor Boulevard and Cleveland Avenue near
downtown Fort Myers.
“The guy was adamant,” Rodriguez said. “My GPS said I could
go that way.”
A month of crashes
There have been at least eight serious crashes (with nine
victims) involving pedestrians or bicyclists in Lee County over the past month.
In most cases the pedestrian or cyclist was to blame for entering the path of
oncoming traffic.
• Wednesday, around 7:40 p.m. —
Pedestrian Teresa Aaron, 75, of Estero, was killed crossing Estero Parkway near
Cypress View Drive. Aaron was not in a crosswalk, and the driver of the station
wagon that hit her couldn’t see her, according to Lee County deputies.
• Wednesday, just before 9 a.m. —
Patrick Joseph Coady, 58, of Cape Coral, was struck and killed by a semi. Coady
was putting air in the tire of his van on the side of Pine Island Road near
Barrett Road in North Fort Myers. The Florida Highway Patrol said the semi
driver was not at fault.
• Nov. 5 — Domingo
Cuevas-Hernandez, 35, was struck and killed as he got off a LeeTran bus and
tried to cross U.S. 41 north of Sanibel Boulevard in San Carlos Park. The
Florida Highway Patrol said the driver was not at fault.
• Oct. 26 — Bicyclist Edward
Bergen, 56, was hit by a vehicle as he tried to cross the intersection at
Southeast 47th Street and Southeast Sixth Avenue in Cape Coral. He was taken to
the hospital in serious condition. Bergen was not wearing a helmet.
• Oct. 22 — Theresa and Paul
McGinn, 81 and 87, respectively, were killed trying to cross Winkler Road in
Fort Myers in front of the Bermuda Club condominium. The driver who hit them
was not cited.
• Oct. 21 — A 13-year-old riding a
bicycle was critically injured after he crashed into a trailer being hauled by
a pickup in the 2700 block of Southwest 20th Avenue in Cape Coral. The teen
veered onto the street from a vacant field, according to Cape Coral police.
• Oct. 20 — Pedestrian Juan
Aranda, 61, was killed in a hit-and-run crash on the 5100 block of Cleveland
Avenue in Fort Myers. Police later arrested 41-year-old Frank Pizzurro for
leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
• Oct. 16 — Cape Coral High School
junior Anastasiya Fairall was seriously injured as she tried to cross Santa
Barbara Boulevard from the high school. Investigators said darkness and morning
fog likely played a factor in the crash. She was not crossing at a crosswalk.
Source: The News-Press archives
1(c):
NBC-2 News Video report on November 22nd, focusing on increased fatalities on roadways.
1(d):
WINK News story and video on increased pedestrian fatalities, Nov. 22nd. See video WINK interview story about
pedestrian killed on Palm Beach Blvd. Wed. This is 2nd pedestrian
killed this month while exiting LeeTran bus and trying to get to other
side of street...using the closest crosswalk is a 6 minute walk.
2. LEE COUNTY DATA
Trends in Lee County Pedestrian and Bicycle Fatalities: 2000-2013 (as of 11/13/13)
by Lee MPO Staff
1. NHTSA Report on 2012 Traffic Fatalities
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released official 2012 traffic fatality and injury report on November 14, 2013, which shows that there was a 3.3% increase in traffic fatalities in 2012 compared to 2011. As reported in Streetsblog, "Pedestrian and bicyclist deaths rose faster than the overall
rate — 6.4 and 6.5 percent, respectively. Last year, 4,743 people were killed
while walking and 726 while biking. This is a long-term trend: Walking and
biking are becoming more dangerous relative to driving. Occupants of passenger
vehicles make up 65 percent of fatalities now, down from 75 percent in 2003,
while “non-occupants” (i.e. pedestrians and cyclists) make up 17 percent, up
from 13 percent. Motorcyclists now account for 15 percent of casualties, up
from 9 percent."
Click here to read the full Streetsblog story on the new NHTSA report:
It’s Official: 33,561 People Killed in Traffic on American Streets Last Year
2. The Atlantic Cities, Nov. 14, 2013
In
light of the recent rash of pedestrian fatalities in Lee County [we're at a record 18
pedestrian fatalities so far this year--highest since 2007] and serious
injuries of both pedestrians and cyclists , this story and video
hits a raw nerve. Take 4 minutes to
watch this video and help spread the message eloquently stated by the grieving
father of the 3-year child that was killed by a driver who failed to yield to
her & her grandma in the crosswalk in NYC. Darla
Our message to all drivers is simple. Please, before
you get behind the wheel, realize that the machine you are about to operate can
kill people. We may drive every day, but we need to be conscious of the
enormous responsibility we have when we get behind the wheel. We urge drivers
to pay attention to the road and to slow down. Yield to pedestrians. They have
the right of way, and it's the right thing to do. Your vehicles weigh one ton
of steel. The average human body weighs a fraction of the vehicle and is made
up of fragile flesh and bones.
New Yorkers are always in a hurry. But we challenge drivers to pause
and ask, is it worth it? Is it worth running over a child because you are
running late? Is it worth picking up the phone when it could mean a family must
pick out a grave for their child? Is it worth texting a friend when that
message could force a father to text a date and time of their child’s funeral?
Click here to watch the video.
Click here to read the full Atlantic Cities article.
3. New York Times, November 9, 2013
By DANIEL DUANE
The lack of consequences for drivers killing pedestrians and cyclists is a national problem, which was well articulated in Sunday's NYT commentary. Darla
Below are excerpts from the commentary:
".But studies performed in Arizona, Minnesota and Hawaii
suggest that drivers are at fault in more than half of cycling fatalities. And
there is something undeniably screwy about a justice system that makes it de
facto legal to kill people, even when it is clearly your fault, as long you’re
driving a car and the victim is on a bike and you’re not obviously drunk and
don’t flee the scene. When two cars crash, everybody agrees that one of the two
drivers may well be to blame; cops consider it their job to gather evidence
toward that determination. But when a car hits a bike, it’s like there’s a
collective cultural impulse to say, “Oh, well, accidents happen.” If your
13-year-old daughter bikes to school tomorrow inside a freshly painted bike
lane, and a driver runs a stop sign and kills her and then says to the cop,
“Gee, I so totally did not mean to do that,” that will most likely be good
enough."
"So here’s my proposal: Every time you get on a bike, from
this moment forward, obey the letter of the law in every traffic exchange
everywhere to help drivers (and police officers) view cyclists as predictable
users of the road who deserve respect. And every time you get behind the wheel,
remember that even the slightest inattention can maim or kill a human being
enjoying a legitimate form of transportation. That alone will make the streets
a little safer, although for now I’m sticking to the basement and maybe the
occasional country road."
Click here to read the full article.
The Atlantic Cities, Nov. 20th.
"That's the argument from two "broken windows"
experts, who spoke at last night's "Closing the Enforcement Gap to Save
Lives on NYC Streets." Both argued that there's no reason the city can't
reduce traffic deaths using essentially the same approach it took to cutting
homicides.
"There needs to be an increased focus on this
issue," said Bill Bratton, former police chief of New York, Los Angeles,
and Boston. "More can be done, and I anticipate more will be done."
"The dichotomy between regular street crime and traffic
crime is a false dichotomy."
Also see this great
follow-up article on the "Broken Windows" strategy article in Streetsblog on 11/25:
Fight Street Crime With Speed Bumps and Crosswalks
6. NYC DOT Shares its Five Principles for Designing Safer Streets, Streetsblog, Nov. 21st.
Earlier this month, NYC DOT put out a major new report,
Making Safer Streets [PDF],
that collects before-and-after data from dozens of street redesigns and
distills five key principles to reduce traffic injuries. The guiding idea in the report is that greater simplicity, order, and predictability will make streets safer. The report can assist the Lee MPO in implementing its bike/ped safety action plan.
Click here to read the full article.
