Regarding the Oct. 13 article "Few common links in spate of pedestrian fatalities":
This article was correct that speeding cars are the biggest risk to pedestrians. But the assertion that there were "few common themes" in the six fatal pedestrian crashes that have occurred in the past month was off the mark. While the story focused on the demographics of the victims and the environmental conditions surrounding the crashes, it missed the biggest common factor: Four of the six crashes occurred on multi-lane, high-speed arterial roads.
Nationally, in fact, 56 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur on arterial roads such as Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County or Glebe Road in Arlington County. Arterial roads are especially risky for people on foot because they offer few, if any, pedestrian amenities such as sidewalks and crosswalks and because they encourage motorists to put the pedal to the metal.
Fortunately, communities across the country are beginning to transform those arterials into more pedestrian-friendly boulevards, complete with sidewalks, bicycle lanes and shade trees. But as these recent pedestrian deaths show, we still have a long way to go.
Michelle Ernst, New York
The writer is co-author of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s report "Dangerous by Design."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/16/AR2010101602799.htmloldId.20101023141533548
Biking in Baltimore