On Oct. 4 hundreds of people will gather in Madison to honor a local teenager who was tragically killed by a speeding driver as he walked to his school bus earlier this year.
Sasha Rosen was 17. The driver was going 62 mph on a 25-mph street. The Ride for Your Life event is a tribute to Sasha and is also an opportunity to shine a light on the increase in pedestrian fatalities on streets that aren’t designed to be safe for people walking and biking.
Many American communities, including Madison, have embraced bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly policies. These transportation options are good for the body and the planet by reducing congestion and decreasing emissions that cause air pollution. Research conducted by the UW-Madison’s Climate Solutions for Health Lab indicates that dangerous street design is one of the biggest barriers for students walking and biking to school…