In November of 2013, the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton (SPRC) did a study on the number of pedestrian deaths per 100,000, and found that Hamilton was the second most dangerous city for pedestrians next to Windsor that ranks as the most number of pedestrians who die while walking, usually by impact from motor vehicles.
The Council's research reached some other startling conclusions for city planners: Hamilton pedestrians are 42 percent more likely to be injured compared to other Ontario cities, and the risk to the safety of cyclists was noted as high as 81 per cent higher than the provincial average.
As pressure heats up for sustainable design in every facet of civilization, city planning and amendment that facilitates those who walk, ride, or take public transit is critical for 21st Century urban sustainability. We do not want cities to become dead-zones or ghost towns, as in many U.S. and some Canadian cities, but rather thriving ecosystems of social-cultural activity; and we do that by providing safe places for people to walk, and safe lanes for cyclists to bike, and very clear signage for motorists to navigate the thruways, arteries, and intersections of the urban landscape.
Indeed, in the wake of urban advocates and visionaries such as Jane Jacobs, the term 'walkability' has become an important way for cities to be measured according to how friendly they are to pedestrians. Factors that help planners and analysts to understand the walkability of a city are:
- Presence and absence of quality footpaths
- Sidewalks or other pedestrian rights of way
- Traffic and road conditions that surround pedestrians
- Land use patterns, that is, what portion of the city land is given up to parking lots and roads versus footpaths, streets for people, and mixed-use pedestrian/commercial areas
- Building accessibility
- Safety
According to Wikipedia, 'Walkability' is defined by "The extent to which the built environment is friendly to the presence of people living, shopping, visiting, enjoying or spending time in an area.
In light of such findings, and other findings related to sustainable urban design, pedestrian death and safety, and meeting the needs of rapidly expanding cities, the Ministry of Transportation has posted a "Proposed legislative and supporting regulatory amendment to the Highway Traffic Act," the motions of which include,
- Assigning three demerit points upon conviction of a distracted driving offence
- Requiring drivers to yield the whole roadway to pedestrians at school crossings and pedestrian crossovers (changed from the current 'half-road' requirement)
- Allowing for new pedestrian crossing devices on low-speed and low-volume roads
- Allowing cyclists to use paved shoulders on unrestricted highways
- Requiring all drivers to maintain a distance of one metre when passing cyclists.
These are not just ways to amend pedestrian and cyclist safety, nor simply a warning sign for all of us motorists, but also, and most importantly, such amendments to our current highway traffic act are movements toward more sustainable, vibrant, healthy Ontario cities, and a radical reduction of pedestrian deaths and injury as a result of collisions with motorists.
When an accident takes place, it is not only the fault of the motorist, for we drive in structures designed by city planners that are constantly in flux and ought to morph to new information and the rise of conditions that give pause and force a change of thinking requisite for sustainable, and safe, urban design.
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