Josephine Hazelton: Our streets don’t have to be so deadly

Re “Pedestrian, 20, dies after accident near Stan State” (Front page, Nov. 5): I’m horrified by the increasing number of collisions involving pedestrians and vehicles in Turlock. How many more pedestrians must die before city policymakers accept responsibility and design streets that are safe for all modes of transportation?

Cities around the country are adopting “Vision Zero” practices which acknowledge that even one traffic-related death is too many. Vision Zero places traffic safety as the top priority of street design.

Prioritizing pedestrian-oriented street design and redesign means rethinking some of the city’s current engineering practices. Low speeds, pedestrian buffers, continuous sidewalks, traffic calming measures, mid-block crossings and road diets on arterial streets all can help provide a safer walking environment.

We cannot become complacent in our acceptance of pedestrians dying on our streets. As someone who regularly walks in Turlock, I take numerous precautions and do everything I can to stay safe; but some factors are out of my control. I want to know that city decision-makers are doing everything they can to keep me – and other pedestrians – safe. Keeping pedestrians safe will require a change in Turlock’s engineering practices and a change in our transportation culture. Such changes could save lives.

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Josephine Hazelton: Our streets don’t have to be so deadly."