In December, a 66-year-old cyclist was struck by a car on Eighth and Liberty streets and later died as a result of his injuries. The driver fled the scene and police are still looking to identify them through security footage. My wife and I drove by the scene shortly after it happened and were rerouted around the flood of emergency lights on our way to our home five blocks away that evening. Cyclist and pedestrian deaths and injuries are far more common in our community than most people realize. In September, a 46-year-old cyclist was killed in an accident on Peach Street. In November, three pedestrians were struck by a vehicle on State Street and sent to the hospital. A man was hit by a vehicle at 38th and Bayfront back in July. It may be even more surprising for readers to learn that there are similarly sized cities that routinely record zero pedestrian and cyclist deaths each year like Hoboken, New Jersey and Berkley, California.
The main difference between Erie and the cities with the lowest rates of pedestrian deaths should surprise no one: planning and proper infrastructure. Through aggressive Vision Zero strategies like street redesigns, lower speed limits, and increased visibility at intersections, cities have been able to nearly eliminate the threat of accidental pedestrian and cyclist deaths by vehicle. Vision Zero is a global road safety strategy that aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by acknowledging human error and designing safer transportation systems for everyone. Originating in Sweden, it’s a multi-disciplinary approach involving engineering, education, enforcement, and policy – prioritizing vulnerable users and treating traffic safety as a public health issue.
The idea behind Vision Zero is simple: design our cities around those who are most vulnerable because they are at the highest risk of suffering traffic-related injury and death. The benefits made to our city will then benefit everyone. Drivers also benefit from high visibility crosswalks and protected bike lanes because being able to see cyclists and pedestrians makes it easier to avoid accidents. Having designated and protected spaces for this traffic reduces bicycle and foot traffic on the road, making it safer for vehicles. Increased lighting reduces the risk of crime, vehicular accidents, and pedestrian deaths. Lower speed limits on residential and commercial corridors reduce the amount of damage when crashing a car into another (accidents do still happen) and make it safer for children to play on the sidewalks in our neighborhoods…