Feet First’s look at pedestrian news for the week of October 26, 2012.
WEEKLY WALK AROUND THE NEWS
Posted by Kerry Dirk
October 26, 2012
Local
The Fairview Avenue East and Fairview Avenue North Intersection Redesign project, which is one of the projects funded by SDOT’s Large Neighborhood Street Fund, will wrap up soon. Included in this project is a redesigned intersection which shortens the distance that pedestrians have to cross, reducing the chances for a collision. In addition, there are now sidewalks along either side of the intersection, as well as a bike lane. A 6-feet-wide asphalt walkway along the waterside of Fairview Ave E was also added.
Walk Score invites walkers to share their walkability scores on Facebook and Twitter. You can also now agree or disagree with a current walk score, and add places to give a neighborhood more credit. And, take a look at Feet First’s campaign “Rate Your Space” using the new app.
A pedestrian walking on Interstate 5 near Boeing Field was fatally hit by a car on Thursday morning.
National
A recent book, The Connected City, talks about communities as being networks rather than places. In an interview, the author talks about how street networks shape our experience of cities and our encounters with specific people. In particular, the walkable distance between houses is more important than the physical distance when it comes to being social with our neighbors.
Using data from a 2011 American Community Survey from the US Census Bureau, a recent analysis identified the best cities for green commuters. New York City has the highest percent of transit usage, followed by Washington , D.C. and San Francisco. In addition, New York City also leads the numbers in terms of who walks to work, followed by Boston and the San Francisco Bay area. The most bike commuters can be found in Portland.
The Active Living Research blog recently posted an infographic that highlights the ways in which parks and recreation can increase physical activity levels. For example, in Nebraska, a study found for every $1 spent on trails, there was nearly $3 in savings in direct medical costs.
Recent rules enacted by the Federal Highway Administration may help cities and towns to use federal funds to make streets more walker and biker friendly. The rule primarily aims to give local agencies more say in how those funds designated for bike and pedestrian infrastructure get spent.
International
Walking might get to be expensive for residents of Canterbury. A council recently introduced a pedestrian permit that residents would need to buy if they want to walk through a council-owned car park to get home. The car park currently backs on to 14 homes, and the council is currently reviewing the policy as soon as residents voiced strong complaints.