The most dangerous places to walk in Camden: pedestrian death and injury is preventable
The Star Tribune recently released an interactive map on its website displaying pedestrian/vehicular collision data per intersection in Minneapolis from 2010 to 2013. In Camden, the intersections with the highest recorded number of incidents include: Penn Ave. at 36th Ave., in which four crashes between pedestrians and vehicles resulted in injuries; Fremont Ave. at 44th, in which two crashes resulting in injuries occurred; Aldrich Ave. at 47th, in which two incidents resulted in injuries—to name a few. (To find other hazardous intersections in Camden, visit startribune.com and search for “most dangerous places to walk.”)
The most cited reason for collisions citywide is distracted or inattentive drivers—304 incidents occurred when a pedestrian was crossing with traffic, and 359 collisions were caused, in part, by a driver’s failure to yield to the right-of-way. The Star Tribune also found that more collisions occurred during the months of October and November than in any other month, and the most dangerous time of day for pedestrians is between 6 and 7 p.m.— during rush hour traffic. The intersection with the most recorded collisions city-wide is at Franklin Ave. E. and Nicollet Ave. S., with a total of 11 injuries resulting from driver and/or pedestrian negligence. There were nine total pedestrian fatalities between 2010 and 2013, none of these occurred in the Camden area.
All of these deaths could have been avoided. Drivers, joggers, bikers and dog walkers alike can take responsibility for their safety and the safety of others. Here are some practical tips to remember:
Pedestrians: Don’t depend on a green light. Make sure to be engaged with your surroundings and use your best judgment when deciding the best time to cross. Drivers: Always use your turn signals. Even if there are no vehicles behind you, there may be a biker or jogger that is depending on your turn signal to know the best time to cross. Bikers: Make sure to use your hand turn signals, especially when riding on the road. For left-hand turns, fully extend your left arm to the left. For right-hand turns, extend your right arm up at a 90 degree angle. Remember to always scan your surroundings and ride defensively. Drivers: Pedestrians always have the right-of-way at marked crosswalks. Failure to yield to pedestrians at a designated crosswalk can result in heavy penalties, currently in the ballpark of $178 per violation.
Not all of the responsibility for pedestrian/vehicular collision injuries and fatalities rests on the shoulders of the individual. There are many practical measures state and local governments can take to make our streets and roadways safer for non-drivers. A need for greater pedestrian visibility was cited as a contributing factor in the collisions at Franklin and Nicollet. A better defined crosswalk area and the installation of bumped out curbs could help to prevent confusion among pedestrians looking to cross this busy thoroughfare.
Bumped out curbs extend sidewalks into the closest parking lanes using a parameter of thigh-high white pylons to separate the street from the curb. This allows more visibility for both parties, provides more curb space to accommodate more pedestrians, and requires vehicles to take wider turns at a slower speed. Bumped out curbs have been used in San Francisco to great success, and Minneapolitans can watch the impacts of completed bumped out curbs in the Seven Corners neighborhood near Cedar-Riverside.
Bumped out curbs is one method of improving crosswalk safety. Other initiatives currently being used throughout the country include police enforcement at a high risk area; campaigns, such as the “I Brake for People” campaign to raise public safety awareness in Portland, Oregon; and the installation of non-traditional traffic lights, such as the countdown-timer pedestrian signals that display the amount of time pedestrians have to complete their crossing.
Camden citizens can advocate for their safety and for the health of their intersections. Addressing their elected representatives with any public safety concerns is one way to do this. Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (mnDOT) has information on upcoming city projects and details on how citizens can get involved in the decision making process (dot.minnesota.gov). If these public routes seem too perilous, take the individual precautions necessary to bring down the high number of these very preventable injuries and deaths.