Aahhh. Hear all that peace and quiet? Nothing but the buzz of cicadas and snoozing desert rats. It’s the sound of June in the dusty old pueblo. The college kids are gone. Snowbirds, too. And the tourons are detouring to the high country. It’s safe to be on the streets again.
Or not. The past few weeks brought the release of two rather alarming reports that give pause to those of us who walk, bike, or travel by any means other than driving a 5,000-pound death machine. The National Complete Streets Coalition published “Dangerous by Design 2014,” a review of how much it sucks to be a pedestrian in this country and what can be done about that. And Tucson’s own Living Streets Alliance—count them among the smart, conscientious folks seeking solutions—released a survey on the rash of bicycle crashes caused by the new streetcar tracks.
Let’s start with walkers—it is, after all, the alpha mode of transportation. From 2003 to 2012, about 47,000 pedestrians were killed by vehicles on U.S. streets. That’s 16 times the number that died in all those splashy natural disasters that get so much ink (and suck up so many federal dollars). About 676,000 people were injured, many in permanent, life-altering ways. And the tragic punch line: Pedestrian bloodshed is increasing, despite a reduction in overall traffic fatalities. Our society invests effectively in making cars safer, but relatively little in making people safe from cars.
Arizona ranks among the top 10 states in the coalition’s Pedestrian Danger Index. Tucson and Phoenix are about double the national average in pedestrian-automotive mayhem. In 2013, Tucson reached a record high in pedestrian fatalities.
Why? My curmudgeonly perspective leads me to conclude that it’s a perfectly predictable side effect of a culture that exalts autos über alles. Now, rather than just reciting my cynical mantra, I can quote this excellent report: When it comes to transportation design, “too often the needs of people and communities have been secondary concerns or left out of the process entirely.”
The same could be said for bicycles. The Living Streets Alliance survey collated data from 86 self-reported bicycle crashes resulting directly from interactions with the new streetcar tracks—a “small fraction” of the number that actually occurred. The results are disturbing—only 4 percent did not result in injury, while 26 percent resulted in serious injuries that included broken bones and trips to the hospital.
This, too, was utterly predictable. I commute along sections of the streetcar route and saw right away that the new construction introduced numerous pinch points and hazards that greatly amp up danger to bicyclists. In a transportation system that’s already largely devoid of margin for error for bicycles (most “bike lanes” are a pathetic joke), adding hazards like this inevitably results in more business for the emergency room.
Experts say that solutions lie in infrastructure, enforcement and education. I’m all for the first item, but the solution-seekers will tell you that lining up money ain’t easy, especially when the vast majority of transportation dollars are poured into the bottomless tar pit of the ongoing petroleum apocalypse.
Nevertheless, if we really want to improve safety, we must build systems that separate bicycles and pedestrians from cars as much as possible. Those fancy red-light crosswalks are a great start, and it sure is fun to make all the cars stop. Problem is they don’t all stop. Just the other day, I was crossing Speedway with five lanes sitting still, but in lane six a BMW blew by me so fast it was like the cartoons where all your clothes come off in the whirlwind. It’s OK, I understand—his life is sooo much more important than mine, because he’s in a car.
Enforcement too often amounts to blaming the victim, rather than a ticket for Mr. BMW. Unless there’s a DUI involved, drivers rarely pay any significant penalty. It’s just part of the overall mentality—when Tucson’s pedestrian fatality record was reported in the local daily, the first half of the story was devoted to the details of why silly pedestrians get what they deserve. And the numerous comments posted by ignorant, intolerant, selfish drivers provided a perfect explication of why so many people get run down.
And here’s the typical educational summary: “There are laws to protect bicyclists and pedestrians, but out on the street, the only ones that matter are the laws of physics, so walk and bike at your own risk.” Well, here’s my public service announcement: “SLOW THE FUCK DOWN AND WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING, PEOPLE!” Show a little respect for human life—peel your eyes away from whatever stupid gadget you’re gazing at, before you kill somebody.
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2014.
This story struck a note with me. I do not live in Tucson at thr moment, but I have adopted it as the place that I am from. So much of who I am today was pieced from the events of my life spent in Tucson. In 1966, I was a 7th grader attending Alice Vail. I would walk by my old elementary school, Bonillas, where I had attened 3rd and 4th grade. (The story of Mrs Eyland or was it Island…is another tale). Each day the path would guide my friend Tom and myself though a gauntlet of elementary aged kids, many of whom were on bicycles. One day before my horrified gaze a kid came flying past us out of the ally behind E 15th Street across Swan Road and was hit by a bluebird school bus and dragged beneath it for quute some distance. He was a rumpled bad of flesh covered bones with blood, hair and parts scraped across the pavement of Swan Road. My friend Tom and I stood agast at the event. The title of this artcle brought this memory back after 48 years as clearly as if it had happened last week!
Tucson’s problems are two:
1. Reduced lighting for dark skies (which has other significant benefits.)
2. A pedestrian reliance on the failed idea that cars will yield with higher accuracy than is humanely likely.
All humans make mistakes and most all crashes happen when two make a judgement error in the same space.
Unfortunately, when one is walking, the crash is likely to be fatal. No one runs down a pedestrian on purpose. Still, never assume a driver sees you and will stop simply because you step in front of him.
I’ll be the first to agree with those who blame distracted drivers (or just plain blitzed drivers) as being part of the problem. Pedestrians, however, are not without blame. Time and again, the TV report leading the late night news shows a dark street, a block away from one of those damned HAWK lights, where an intoxicated pedestrian dressed in black garb stumbles into traffic and was run down.
It might help reduce the number of these “victims” by having them take a pedestrian test, such as vehicle drivers are supposed to pass, before being permitted on the local sidewalks. Dress in lighter colors, carry a flashlight (and maybe reflective materials) so drivers can see you and avoid you. It might be suggested, too, that pedestrians actually USE those $100K HAWK light gifts from the city taxpayers.
I am truly surprised that we don’t lose more UA students every year. They are “taught” from day one that pedestrians have the right-of-way on campus and they blissfully step out into traffic on campus without even a glance. Which is okay. Drivers on campus know that students will do this and have come to expect it. The problem arises when they get a block or two from campus and forget that they are no longer invincible. I have had near-misses multiple times on my daily 3-mile commute. Why more of these kids don’t become victims is only a testament to the skill of the white-knuckled Tucson drivers who are navigating the roads around the UA.
The day people have to take a freakin’ test to walk on the sidewalk is the day the armed revolution begins….
Yeah, yeah, personal responsibility, blah blah blah. But let’s put this in proper perspective: To walk on the sidewalk or cross the street puts no one in danger but yourself. To drive a 5,000-pound vehicle irresponsibly endangers everyone else on the street. That’s why you have to take a test to drive.
Your attitude is the problem, n7iqv. You show obvious disdain for the crossing lights and resent their inconvenience to you, you put victim in quotation marks, you want to focus the lion’s share of the blame and responsibility on the person who is killed or injured, etc. You clearly see pedestrians as nuisances, rather than living human beings deserving of your care and consideration.
Thanks for proving one of the fundamental points of the article. Now please show some respect and try not to kill anybody.
Couldn’t you have found a photo that wasn’t shot in Europe? (I do this for a living so I notice these things.)
Simple things to consider from every side of the sandwich:
Bikers: Please wear helmets, reflective vests, lights, and obey the same traffic laws cars do.
Walkers: Please take out the ear buds when you are in an urban traffic ridden environment. Leave your phone in your pocket for 5 minutes out of your day. Walking and texting or doing otherwise on your precious device may cost you a trip in an ambulance.
Drivers: Please slow down. Watch for zoned out pedestrians texting someone about their cat’s recent hair ball. Realize there are other modes of transportation competing for space. Trying to beat that yellow light, may change your life forever if you nail an errant biker or pedestrian. Your phone should not be in your hand while you are driving.
Please watch this incredible documentary by Werner Herzog.
http://vimeo.com/97123840
The fact is that most bikers and walkers are also drivers. Something seems to happen to us when we get behind the wheel that may make us think we are the dominant character in this drama. Everyone needs to think and slow down, and focus. Being the victim or the driver in the worst case scenario are both bad.
Ronko, well said. Thinking back to yesterday morning when the news was reporting that the person killed by a train at Ruthrauff was wearing ear buds and looking at his cell phone. Very sad and needless loss of a life.
For as often as I’ve seen a near-hit car vs. pedestrian/bicyclist accident in which the car’s driver failed to yield or whatever, I’ve seen pedestrians jaywalking across major streets, sometimes just feet from an intersection crosswalk, texting without looking up when crossing streets, bicyclists disobeying traffic laws such as riding the bike in the crosswalk just as the light turns yellow or using the pedestrian walks to ride across the road.
One of the most disturbing stories I covered as a reporter was the death of a little boy who was killed dashing across Fort Lowell to get to the school bus stop with his brother. The boys were within their “rights” to cross where they did – while the intersection wasn’t marked, it was an “implied crosswalk,” the darkness of that morning and the fact that these boys had to cross a busy street at such a time made it almost inevitable that something would happen at some point.
Now, some Tucson streets are getting so that they are not designed for someone to cross it within one light. Pedestrians are supposed to wait on medians in the middle of the crossing. How many people are going to impatiently dash across those lanes, putting themselves at risk?
I often see adults, standing in the middle of a busy road like Grant, jaywalking, waiting for a chance to finish crossing the road instead of going to an intersection. And they have KIDS with them. Many drivers don’t see the middle lane as a turn lane – they see it as a PASSING lane. How soon until a family gets mowed down that way? I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet.
I don’t think a pedestrian test is practical, but perhaps the city should better inform drivers and pedestrians of their responsibilities and how to make the streets safer. What are other cities doing right that we are not?
Skinnyman:
Far from disdain about the HAWK lights, I hold the pedestrians who refuse to USE the crossings in spite of their presence as being a BIG part of the problem. I stop when required at each red light and each HAWK light (listen to my wife..) and as I wait for the light to clear, watch countless cars blow through. Why? I suppose it was the pedestrian who hit the button and walked out into traffic before the HAWK light came on…it is frustrating to wait for a person to cross, when nobody is there. I wait until the flashing reds come on.. Others do not.
As for the “victims”…many, if not MOST of the pedestrian accidents in this area are self-inflicted. Quite often, one or another party is drunk. As others have noted, pull out the ear buds, put the smartphone away while dumbwalking, and try PAYING ATTENTION. On foot or on wheels!
It would help if walkers did not dress like pavement.
The leap of faith a walker takes by crossing without watching all lanes of traffic stop first and without looking over their shoulder for the turning traffic makes today or tomorrow a good day to die.
If you wait to cross with your toes hanging over the curb, you’re precisely why natural selection will choose you for death.
As for the bikers, they have it coming to them.
lots of comments about what pedestrians/bikers can do. good advice, mostly. but seems like the onus is on drivers, as they are the ones behind 1-2 ton mobile, metal machines. and so help me god, Yes Bob, i’m hoping some cyclist keys the shit out of your car, because, you know, you have it coming to you.
it is infuriating to pass all blame to to victims. shameful. you are driving, you see a drunken pedestrian crossing illegally, fine, yes, that person fucked up. YOU, driver, are responsible for being aware of your surroundings and not hitting that person.
I get my car keyed, you get a funeral. Well done.
Yes Bob, you seem like a reasonable, compassionate member of our society. So I will just say that some people don’t appreciate casual threats or indifference to violence against cyclists. But I’m glad to know how important your cars paint job is to you in the overall scheme of things.
I am a cyclist, pedestrian, and a motorist. While I agree with the gist of Mr. Serraglio’s article, I feel he neglects the responsibility pedestrians and cyclists have in this matter. It has long been my observation that Tucson is the jaywalking capital of the world, and if it’s not number 1 it’s in the top 10. From people dressed in black jaywalking across Oracle at night, to people with children jaywalking across Grant or Speedway, to wheelchair bound amputees jaywalking across Silverbell using their one good leg to slowly scoot themselves across several lanes of traffic instead of pushing themselves with their hands, I grow frustrated as a motorist at having to essentially do a vulcan mind meld with every person I see or can’t see on the road to try and avoid hitting them. In terms of cyclists, they need to obey traffic laws. Going up A Mountain as I frequently do, I can’t tell you how many times cyclists speed down the hill and veer into oncoming traffic to avoid slowing down and going over speed bumps. I’ve narrowly avoided several collisions in this scenario. I agree that infrastructure needs to improve to allow for safe transportation for cyclists and pedestrians, and I agree motorists need to focus on the road, slow down, and put away their devices. My point is it’s not simply always the motorist’s fault. Many times it is and more of the responsibility falls on the motorist because the physics of the situation favors them. It’s just us cyclists and pedestrians need to do our part as well in order to ensure safe travels.
jonralston – can’t disagree with anything you say here. cyclists who behave recklessly make so angry, as a cyclist, because they feed the anti-cycling vibe in among some motorists here. it’s a real problem. as for pedestrians, i would say i’ve lived in other cities where there is similar behavior on a similar scale. the one thing in common is that the roads are huge, speedway-style arteries in largely suburban areas. often pedestrian crossing opportunities are somewhat limited, and the mix of that with big roads with cars going fairly fast is a bad one.
but as you acknowledge, ultimately the motorists have the greatest potential to do harm and thus can do the most to avoid harm, even if they are obeying laws. it’s a pain, sure, but also just a reality.
The majority of what selfish drivers claim to be “jaywalking” is not really jaywalking or illegal behavior in any way. There is an implied crosswalk at every street corner, including alleys, and people have a legal right to cross, even at night. Is it risky? Sometimes, yes, but there obviously is no guarantee of safety at a major intersection or even at a fancy crossing light (which are few and far between, by the way).
But regardless, the bottom line is simple courtesy and basic responsibility–if you are the one operating the deadly weapon, and you see someone crossing the road or about to cross the road, you SLOW DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION. If you’re in a high-pedestrian and/or high-bicycle traffic area, you SLOW DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION. Your desire to get where you’re going a few seconds faster does not trump another person’s right to life, no matter how risky their behavior may be. Since when is jaywalking a capital crime?
And many times victims are blamed for jaywalking, when in fact, as a previous poster observed, it is likely that BOTH people involved in the crash were not paying attention. But, of course, our society blames the person walking across the street and gives the driver operating the 5,000-pound death machine a free pass. This is just plain ass-backwards and morally indefensible. I refuse to believe that any more than a tiny percentage of pedestrian fatalities are truly unavoidable consequences of pedestrian behavior, and not the result of drivers not paying attention and not allowing sufficient margin for error based on present conditions (congestion, dark streets, bad weather, bar time, etc.).
The bottom line remains. Pedestrians and bicyclists never kill people in cars. People in cars do kill pedestrians and bicyclists, on a regular basis.
I was riding my bike east on pima street when I hear screeching breaks and gravel flying behind me. Apparently a guy in a truck almost hit me. It was broad daylight and I had on my flashing red light on the back of my bike. There was no bike lane, but I was traveling on the right side of the road as close to the side of the road as possible. I stopped, turned around to look and the guy who came close to mowing me down started cussing at ME! I had done absolutely nothing wrong. But he considered the whole incident to be my fault. Go figure!
My question is how often do cars drive up on the sidewalk and hit some one? Hardly ever, so with that in mind it must be the suicidal people jay walking that cause all these problems. I cannot count the many of times I see people standing in the turn lane trying to cross the street with pedestrian light a 100 yards up the road. So my take is on all this is, all the street lights all this whining and all the pedestrian lights in the world cannot fix stupid and as for making more bike lanes, other then the U of A area, which most of the money has been wasted on them, why should we pay for something that will only be used by 3 or 4 cyclists a day 6 months out of the year?
I also have one question, is it the trains fault that hit that pedestrian the other day at Ruthrauff Rd. or should it have swerved to miss him? Like I said you cannot fix stupid.
AZ Paul, there’s one thing upon which we agree–you can’t fix stupid. Thanks for proving my point.
Good point skinnyman. Exactly, you have to be stone cold stupid to be hit by a train.
Traffic laws (including those applicable to pedestrians and bikers) are created to make the other users’ actions as predictable as possible. People not following those rules lead to a vast majority of collisions, I’m sure, Whether driving intoxicated, or while texting, or walking across the street at an inappropriate place, or bikers not following traffic laws.
Lots of people run across the middle of the street (not near corners), across one lane of traffic and then wait in the middle. Crazy. Try standing on the sidewalk and count the number of passing drivers using their cell phones. You’ll find a high percentage, but that’s really not news I’m sure.
I’ve found one of the highest offenders are bikers, in terms of the sheer percentage that break traffic laws. As I bike to work, I would estimate I see well more than 50% of bikers breaking traffic laws. Not stopping at stop signs, biking the wrong side of the road, carrying passengers, biking and texting (maybe that’s not a law, just common sense)!
My favorite was on my bike, waiting to cross Ft. Lowell at Dodge, car on my right waiting to make a right turn, car on my left waiting to go straight, about 3 ft between me and the car on my left. Suddenly a biker flies by me, across Ft. Lowell. From his speed, I can’t imagine he had even slowed down, fit between a space he could barely fit through, and straight through a red light across Ft. Lowell.
Not very predictable behavior, although with the frequency I see similar things happen (including cars and pedestrians), maybe it’s totally predictable and should be expected that people are going to do stupid things on the road. Everyone, just be careful!