Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would work to improve pedestrian safety in communities.
The Save Our Pedestrians Act of 2024 would require five percent of funding appropriated to states through the Highway Safety Improvement Program be used for projects that reduce the number of injuries and fatalities at high-risk pedestrian crossings.
U.S. Reps. Mike Carey (R-OH) and Emilia Sykes (D-OH) introduced the bill.
“The Columbus metro region has seen an explosion in population growth, but unfortunately our transportation and pedestrian infrastructure has not kept up,” Carey said. “Our legislation will make our roadways safer for children and families by redesigning crosswalks, roundabouts, sidewalks, and other infrastructure.”
“As more pedestrians are injured and killed while walking in crosswalks and on streets without sidewalks, the need to find commonsense solutions to allow people to move around our neighborhoods without fear is critical to the quality of life in our communities,” Sykes said.
Since 2010, pedestrian deaths increased 77 percent, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Since 2011, more than 8,000 pedestrians have been killed by motor vehicles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the equivalent of approximately one death every 66 minutes.