Suburbia dangerous for pedestrians

Maybe people are starting to notice that far more people die in traffic accidents in the U.S.A. than in foreign wars. The projects submitted by Lowndes County for TSPLOST funding would make this problem even worse, except the bus system, which wouldn't require road widening.

John Larson and others, PBS, 22 July 2010, Profiles from the Recession: [VIDEO] Dangerous Crossing: A new suburbia as economy changes:

In recent years a little noticed shift has been transforming suburbia: the home of the middle class has become the home of the working poor. As a result, roadways that were built for the car are now used by a growing population that can’t afford to drive. The consequences can be deadly.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

According to a recent report, by two national transportation groups, about 43 thousand pedestrians were killed in the U.S. in the last decade; “the equivalent of a jumbo jet going down roughly every month.”

Of course, the problem didn't start with an increase in pedestrians.

Ellen Dunham-Jones is a Professor of urban design at Georgia Tech, and co-author of a book called “Retrofitting Suburbia.”

Dunham-Jones says suburban communities across the nation need a major re-think.

Suburbs were designed for cars and big oil, not for people, with no stores, streets so wide they cause speeding, and no trees. Virginia leads the way in turning isolated cul de sacs into livable communities. Georgia and Lowndes County, not so much. See next post.

-jsq

PS: This post owed to Rob Cannon.