Posted by Drew DeVitis
Local
SDOT has launched a Safe Routes to School outreach campaign, which coincides with International Walk to School Month and Feet First’s IWALKChallenge, to remind everyone to look out for each other and keep kids safe in school zones.
Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk participants raised more than $2.7 million for breast cancer research from the walk this weekend in the Seattle area. More than 900 participants spent the weekend walking 60 miles to support research and community-outreach programs.
Gil Penalosa, the executive director of the Canadian non-profit organization 8-80 Cities, spoke at the Lynnwood Convention Center about how can we create vibrant communities that benefit residents and businesses, including the benefits of making public transit, walking and cycling a normal activity of everyday life.
National
City Clock Magazine released a list of the top 10 most car independent neighborhoods in the U.S. outside of New York City, which features neighborhoods in the Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago areas.
Recent research from California shows that the healthiest cities in the state have shorter blocks and more intersections, proving again that walkable communities can help the old and young alike thrive.
Authorities in New York are cracking down on pedestrian-bike collisions after a cyclist crashed into and killed a pedestrian in Central Park for the second time in as many months, highlighting the vulnerability of pedestrians in parks and other spaces shared with bicyclists.
International
Bolivia celebrated the fourth annual “Day of the Pedestrian and Cyclist in Defense of Mother Earth”, banning cars from all roads in the capital city La Paz for a day and reclaiming public streets for pedestrians and cyclists. The event, known as Day of the Pedestrian, is an expanded version of ciclovias popular in Latin America.
Madrid has unveiled a radical new rule to limit cars in the city center, fining drivers 90 euros if they do not have a reserved, limited parking space in the city’s four most central barrios. The rule will be enforced beginning in January, creating virtually car free zones in the city core, with an expansion planned in the near future.
In Santo Domingo, D.R. architect Maribel Villalona is aiming to make the city, which has the worst rate of traffic fatalities in the world, more friendly to pedestrians. Villalona is in charge of a $31.2 million project to revitalize Santo Domingo’s historic colonial zone.
If you come across any interesting pedestrian news or stories, please send a link to drew.devitis@gmail.com.
Photos courtesy of SDOT, CityLab, and EMBARQ