This graphic puts the use of space by each surface transportation mode in perspective.. and it is quite obvious that cars eat up a lot of space in our urban environments.

Automobile, defined: a really poor use of space to move people thru the city. (Like, the worst.) h/t @jen_keesmaat pic.twitter.com/ZwgdCPvWbv

— Taras Grescoe (@grescoe) December 29, 2014

How bad is the road safety problem across the planet? Pretty bad.  The global road death toll has already reached 1.24 million per year and is on course to triple to 3.6 million per year by 2030. In “Roads Kill,” The Washington Post joins with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to bring stories from around the world about this neglected but easily curable public health crisis.

[pageview url="http://roadskillmap.com/#58.53959476664049,89.296875,2" height="500px" border="yes"]

The image below was posted on the Colorado Dept. of Transportation’s Facebook Page with the following note: “Did you know that Colorado experienced a 66% increase in pedestrian fatalities and a 63% increase in bicyclist fatalities from 2011 to 2012? Share the Road folks!”  After seeing the Facebook post, I got curious and paid a visit to the CDOT website and found out they have an awesome campaign “Share the Road, Friend”  underway to create  an awareness about the  shared responsibility for road safety among all road users. They got all kinds of promotional materials made available on the CDOT website and while you are there don’t forget to check out the campaign videos as well. Nicely done, CDOT.

Share the Road, Friend – via Colorado Dept. of Transportation

Image courtesy: saferoutespartnership.org

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (National Partnership) is seeking a professional and detail-oriented candidate with experience in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy or policy to join the National Partnership as the Greater Washington DC Active Transportation Fellow. This is a temporary, contract position.

The Active Transportation Fellow will work with the Regional Network Manager and Greater Washington DC Regional Policy Manager to advocate for improved transportation funding allocations and policies for Safe Routes to School, Complete Streets and walking and bicycling. Please review the scope of work for the position for detailed information and application instructions.

Required qualifications for the Greater Washington DC Active Transportation Policy Fellow include: demonstrated experience in social media; student work or personal work in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy or policy; knowledge of Safe Routes to School and/or Complete Streets; ability to write case studies, participate in work groups and present to a variety of audiences; self-starter; detail-oriented; proficient with social media such as Twitter, Facebook and WordPress, PCs and with MS Office software. The successful candidate will work from their home office with their own personal computer, internet access and telephone. Candidate must be able to attend meetings throughout the region, some of which are not Metro accessible.

The final deadline for applications is Wednesday, April 24, 2013 by 12:00 p.m. ET.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply early.  Telephone inquiries are not accepted.

We look forward to hearing from qualified candidates interested in joining our dynamic, visionary and growing non-profit.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership was founded in 2005 and is a network of more than 600 organizations. The National Partnership mission is to advocate for safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.  The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hosted by the nonprofit Bikes Belong Foundation which is an equal opportunity employer.

How do you teach a disrespectful driver about road safety? Rotary Club from the city of Blumenau, Brazil, started a campaign aimed at drivers who don’t respect crosswalks. And here is the outcome:

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKWBDhTWiaU’]

Sustainable urban transport and development saves lives and improves quality of life. Learn how EMBARQ makes this happen

EMBARQ’s Approach to Health and Road Safety

Do you know that over 90% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have only 48% of the world’s registered vehicles?

Image Courtesy: World Health Organization

Approximately 1.3 million people die each year on the world’s roads, and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. In most regions of the world this epidemic of road traffic injuries is still increasing. In the past five years most countries have endorsed the recommendations of the World report on road traffic injury prevention which give guidance on how countries can implement a comprehensive approach to improving road safety and reducing the death toll on their roads.

To date, however, there has been no global assessment of road safety that indicates the extent to which this approach is being implemented. This Global status report on road safety is  the first broad assessment of the status of road safety in 178 countries, using data drawn from a standardized survey conducted in 2008.

The results show that road traffic injuries remain an important public health problem, particularly for low-income and middle-income countries. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists make up almost half of those killed on the roads, highlighting the need for these road users to be given more attention in road safety programmes.

Image Courtesy: Apture

The results also suggest that in many countries road safety laws need to be made more comprehensive while enforcement should be strengthened. TheGlobal status report on road safety results clearly show that significantly more action is needed to make the world’s roads safer.

The results provide a benchmark that countries can use to assess their road safety position relative to other countries, while internationally the data presented can collectively be considered as a global “baseline” against which progress over time can be measured.  Here is a quick summary of key findings from WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan’s  statement during the June 15, 2009 release of the report in New York City:

• Over 90% of these deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have less than half of the world’s registered vehicles.
• Second, the report highlights that nearly half of those dying on the world’s roads are pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. These people, who lack the protective shell of a car, are particularly vulnerable to severe and fatal injuries following a crash.  In some low-income and middle-income countries, this proportion is even higher, with up to 80% of road traffic deaths among these vulnerable groups. Clearly we are not giving enough attention to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, many of whom end up in clinics and emergency rooms, overloading already stretched health-care systems.
• Third, the report shows that, in many countries, the laws needed to protect people are either not in place or too limited in their scope. Indeed, only 15% of countries have comprehensive laws on all the risk factors we measured. And even when legislation is adequate, most countries report that enforcement is low.  The development and effective enforcement of legislation are key ways to reduce drink-driving and excessive speed, and to increase the use of helmets, seat-belts and child restraints.
• Finally, the report demonstrates that in many countries information about road traffic injuries is scarce. To set priorities and target and evaluate their actions, countries need to know the size of the problem, and additional information such as which groups are most affected.

Click here to access the PDF report.

(Source: Times Online, UK; Photo via Mail online, UK)

Pedestrians will be made to walk faster on crossings under a plan favouring motorists that Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has proposed.

Digital signs that count down the seconds until cars get a green light would be introduced at 6,000 sets of lights. Those on foot will lose up to six seconds of crossing time during each phase.

The signs are part of the mayor’s plan to give more green time to traffic at the expense of pedestrians. He hopes that pedestrians will either speed up as they see the countdown approaching zero or, if they are slow walkers, wait at the kerb for the next green man phase.

Mr Johnson hopes that the extra green time will smooth the flow of traffic and help to cope with the increase in cars expected next year when he halves the size of the congestion charge zone.

People used to having a certain time to cross at their local lights may suddenly find themselves halfway across the road as the traffic starts to move. The number of green man phases each hour will also fall. Road safety groups fear this will lead to more jaywalking and more collisions.

Mr Johnson has asked the Department for Transport for permission to install the country’s first pedestrian countdown signs. Other authorities are interested in the technology, used in many cities abroad, including Copenhagen, Los Angeles and Singapore. In Taipei and Istanbul, the green man walks faster shortly before the lights change, encouraging pedestrians to mimic him and increase their pace.