Advocacy & Safety - You could get killed, just walking around here

Just this morning I read that Detroit tops the nation in terms of your chances for being killed by an automobile driver while just walking around the city.



"We have a lot of problems with accidents. We have a lot of unlicensed drivers. We have a lot of fatal car accidents, and a lot of them involve pedestrians," said Detroit Deputy Chief Harold Cureton, who directed the traffic enforcement unit until a recent reorganization. "It's probably something we should pay more attention to."


Gee do you think so???...

No wonder this guy is the former director of the traffic enforcement unit. I don't see how anyone else could do much worse.

Full text of the article (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/ped22_20030422.htm)

Dan

Doh!

Increase the penalties for virtually all "negligence" accidents...make it VERY painful for a motorist to be involved in ANY accident where lack of attention is the culprit.

Dan and BikeColorado, I walk miles and miles as part of my commute when I'm not cycling. I know the pedestrian problems, firsthand.

I have quite seriously advocated "clapping," which has evoked some degree of skepticism, I'm sure. But when you are in a crosswalk and a motorist is looking the other way at traffic while on a cellphone, waiting to jump into traffic, clapping makes them look at you. It also makes them start over, scanning traffic for an opening.

I once walked in front of an SUV waiting at a stop sign in a small residential neighborhood (30 mph. limit.) The SUV started without looking at me. I was directly in front of her.

I actually jumped up on to the steel bars that cross the grille, travelling several feet with the SUV before my shouting called me to the attention of the apologetic driver.

Bottom line: IT PROTECTS YOUR LIFE.

Moral: make them pay attention.

Hey, Pete-I had a pickup-truck driver do the same to me once 2 winters back. Hammering his hood with my fist was what it took to get his attention.

Some of the most pedestrian-hostile venues are the intersections of freeway access ramps with the rest of the road grid. I know one lady who waves her sweater to enhance her visibility at a particularly dangerous intersection. The biggest problem seems to be motorists who are conditioned to look only for other motor vehicles, rather than for cyclists or pedestrians.

Yes, I strongly favor greater accountability for motorists, with significant penalties for inattentive driving. Thanks partly to the successes of MADD, I think I now fear distracted drivers more than drunks, because there are so many more of the former.

So Dan from Detroit, what's your point?

I was just pointing out another example of the way officialdom handles (or doesn't handle) safety issues in the "car culture" that exists here in Detroit.

I was also amused by the former traffic director saying "we might want to pay more attention to this", when his city tops the nation in terms of fatalities. If that doesn't provoke some action, nothing will. My guess is that nothing will.

Aside from the grim comedy of this, the only point is that your safety is in your own hands because the bureaucrats could care less.

Dan

Well DUH, my safety is always in my own hands, whether the bureaucrats do anything or not, they can't protect you from everything-that's impossible! Can streets be made to be safer? probably, but it mostly falls on the citizens! We are the ones that need to take responsibility and if we refuse than we need to punish more severly. Bureaucrats could reduce speed limits and put radar guns on every corner and camaras that take your picture when you run a red light at every corner-but who's going to pay for this? It cost my town $50,000 to install one camara at a particularly bad interesection, now multiply that out by all the stop signs and traffic lights in your town-WOW; now add in extra uniformed officers to handle the radar guns on every street or install those radar gun camera things in a trailer-WOW again, there goes the city taxes right up throught the roof-taxes you and I would have to pay for. No thank you, I don't need that. I think we as citizens need to be held accountable for our stupid actions-not some city, county or state.

Originally posted by froze
I think we as citizens need to be held accountable for our stupid actions-not some city, county or state.

You are making Dan's point for him. Everyone does need to be held accountable. The group that they should be held accountable too is the city, county and state governments. Unfortunately that can't happen until the governments here in Michigan start seeing it as a more serious issue. This is after all the Motor city. Most jobs around here rely in some way on the automotive industry. Anything that is seen as not "Pro Car" is immediately dismissed. There is real lack of public transportion, bike friendly roads, and even safe crossings for Pedestrians. It has to change not only in Detroit but in all of Metro-Detroit.

Originally posted by John E
Some of the most pedestrian-hostile venues are...
That phrase jumped out at me: "pedestrian-hostile venues."

Today, while walking on the sidewalk against one-way traffic, I had to shout repeatedly and tap on the hood of a motorist who refused to give me eye contact as they looked the other way at traffic for an opening.

"Wake up!" I told the driver, as I stepped in front of the car which was almost blocking the sidewalk.

I did not feel the least bit embarrassed by my N.Y.-style behavior.

:beer:

Originally posted by froze
who's going to pay for this? It cost my town $50,000 to install one camara

Gee, 500, $100 tickets (that should take a month) would pay for it!


Can streets be safer? Probably, but it mostly falls on the citizens!

True, but is the city doing what it can to stop what it could ? Seems to me it's turning a blind eye on a problem it could be doing better at handling. That's negligence.

Originally posted by closetbiker
Gee, 500, $100 tickets (that should take a month) would pay for it!



True, but is the city doing what it can to stop what it could ? Seems to me it's turning a blind eye on a problem it could be doing better at handling. That's negligence.
I've lived too long to believe that motorist accountability is as difficult as it's made to seem. We just don't want to offend "customers." But in the end, the hypocrisy of posting speed limits and refusing to enforce them breeds contempt for the law in general. It would be better not to have speed limits at all.

But that would hurt federal funding, which is apparantly more important than lives.

One more thought:

With all due respect to our police forces, is it possible that they don't want to waste the time showing up in court when they have so much else to do?

The problem is so widespread, police enforcement needs the all-out support of politicians who have [those circumferential, hairy entities that reproduce the population with the aid of female reproductive organs.]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by closetbiker
[B]Gee, 500, $100 tickets (that should take a month) would pay for it!

Not quite; the ticket first of all is $350-BUT-you forgot all the administration work that goes into processing one ticket. Plus I doubt that there are 500 offenders in a month because there are warning signs everywhere and these weird looking things (camaras) pointing at you from all directions. But you did bring up an interesting thought; one is how many tickets does this thing give out in a month; two is how much is left over to cover the cost of the camaras after administration cost are paid and three did it cost $50,000? I found out that JUST the camaras cost $50,000, it took 3 months of road work to install these things, how much was that? I will find out the answer and get back with you all on most of these questions.

Sounds like a case for creative accounting.

It all boils down to liability and political will.

The people make their choices. If they think cars should be given preference others suffer. If they take a long term view, I think, people should be protected.

Originally posted by D*Alex
Hey, Pete-I had a pickup-truck driver do the same to me once 2 winters back. Hammering his hood with my fist was what it took to get his attention.
I suppose a dent in the hood (bonnett) might upset a motorist. But a dent in my body might upset me.