‘Everyone Is a Pedestrian’: Gov’t Spending $2M to Increase Communities’ ‘Walkability’

Photo Credit: NHTSAConcerned about a rise in pedestrian fatalities at a time when walking is strongly encouraged (“Let’s Move!”), the Obama administration is spending $2 million to give local communities the “resources and the tools they need” to prevent pedestrian deaths.

The effort — dubbed “Everyone Is a Pedestrian” — goes beyond public awareness campaigns that tell you to look both ways before crossing the street.

The new safety grants “will allow communities to take actions to make their city safer and better places to walk,” said David Strickland, director of the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), who spoke at a news conference on Monday.

Some of the “resources to increase walkability” mentioned at Monday’s news conference include “better infrastructure for pedestrians,” such as highway medians, pavement markings and new traffic signals.

And NHTSA’s “Everyone Is a Pedestrian” website offers a “Walkability Checklist,” which reads like a “how-to” guide for budding community activists.

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