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Pedestrian allies lament fatality rate

By Carrie Seidman
Saturday, December 4, 2004

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A report released this week showing New Mexico still leading the nation in pedestrian fatalities has reinvigorated discussions about how the problem is being addressed in Bernalillo County, where the majority of the deaths occur.

"Efforts to make walking safer may be paying off, but we still have too many fatalities," says Joanne McEntire, coordinator of the Albuquerque Alliance for Active Living and a member of 1000 Friends of New Mexico, a nonprofit that advocates on growth and planning issues.

"Mean Streets 2004," a report by the national Surface Transportation Policy Project, a coalition working for transportation reforms, revealed New Mexico had an average of 3.01 pedestrians killed per 100,000 residents during 2002 and 2003. While representing a slight decline from earlier statistics, the numbers are still far higher than the national average of 1.68 deaths per capita.

The rates for Albuquerque, also slightly lower than in previous years, still make it the most dangerous city in the state. Pedestrians account for 20 percent of all traffic deaths in the metropolitan area; the national average is 11.4 percent.

McEntire says Albuquerque has never made creating a walk-friendly community a top priority.

"It's not just up to the driver and the pedestrian, it's up to the community," she said. "We need the leadership of the city, public planning and public works and the people all to get involved. We still have a ways to go on that."

Diane Scena, director of WALK Albuquerque, a citizen pedestrian advocacy group, agrees.

"I don't see anyone standing out in front and saying creating a walkable community is important to the state of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque, like Salt Lake City did," said Scena.

Upon his election in 1999, Rocky Anderson, mayor of Salt Lake City, elevated pedestrian safety and walkability to among his administration's highest priorities. Since then, the Utah capitol's pedestrian fatalities have declined by more than 44 percent.

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez said that he has always been strongly committed to improving the pedestrian situation and that the city is investing in safety improvements "at a greater magnitude than at any time in history."

"We started over a year ago with internal teams identifying critical intersections where we're having accidents," Chavez said. "From there, you take your strategy."

Chavez said that money from fines collected by the city's new "red light" program where cameras stationed at strategic intersections catch drivers running red lights will be earmarked for future pedestrian improvements.

Scena hopes a commitment to funding on a "significant" scale, will not be delayed.

"That's a crucial part of making progress at something more than glacial speed," Scena said. "A balanced transportation system requires a balanced funding strategy, and ours has been out of balance so long that shifting it requires resources and leadership. I'm looking forward to the time when all politicians realize it's what the city needs."

And not only what the city needs, adds Scena, but what Albuquerque's more than half a million residents need.

"I think there's a message that goes beyond the numbers and that is that, while walking presents some dangers, not walking represents more," she said.

The report also pointed out that while the nation spends $240 million per year on pedestrian and bicycle projects, the cost of diseases related to physical inactivity cost are an estimated $76 billion annually.