Tennessee Metro Areas Among Worst in U.S. for Pedestrian Safety

Two of the 20 most dangerous large metropolitan areas in the country for pedestrians are in Tennessee, according to a national report released today. The report finds Memphis to be the 5th most dangerous and Nashville the 18th most dangerous to walk in; Memphis had the 3rd largest increase in danger to pedestrians over the past ten years.

Jackson and the Tri-Cities are among the most dangerous mid-size metro areas, and Knoxville, the Tri-Cities, and Clarksville all saw a significant jump in the rate of danger to pedestrians, according to the report released by SELC, the Surface Transportation Policy Project and others.

The full report and state fact sheets can be found at www.transact.org

Tennessee spent just a little over 1% of the federal transportation funds it received in recent years on pedestrian and bicycle facilities and safety—an average of only $1.06 per person—even though over 7% of all traffic deaths in the state were pedestrians, the groups reported. The lowest rate of federal funds spent on pedestrian and bicycle projects among the state’s major metro areas occurred in Memphis, where only 33 cents per person was spent on such projects.

“Our transportation policies can have deadly consequences,” said Trip Pollard, Director of SELC’s Land and Community Project. “We are not doing nearly enough to protect children, senior citizens, and everyone else who walks.”

There are some positive trends. Despite the relatively high danger in Nashville, the level of danger there dropped by 7% over the past decade, and dropped by almost 25% in Chattanooga. In addition, the level of federal funding spent on pedestrian and bicycle facilities and safety in the state increased slightly in the last few years, and was highest in Chattanooga.

“Funding pedestrian improvements can make a significant difference in increasing safety and making walking a more attractive transportation alternative,” Pollard noted. “The state and localities need to shift more transportation funds to these projects.”

The report, Mean Streets 2004, uses federal transportation and census data to rank metropolitan areas according to their danger to people on foot. It also analyzes spending of federal transportation funds on pedestrian and bicycle safety and facilities at the state and metropolitan level.

Metro Area

Pedestrian Danger Index (2002-03)

% Change in Index (from 1994-95)

Memphis

159.1

42.6

Jackson

120.9

-19.9

Johnson City--Kingsport--Bristol

116

54.8

Nashville

93

-7

Chattanooga

85.6

-24.7

Knoxville

64.8

26.6

Clarksville--Hopkinsville

25.1

247

The report finds that risks to pedestrians tend to be greatest in sprawling suburban areas, and wide, high-speed streets increase the dangers to pedestrians.

The report further finds that dangerous streets are discouraging people from walking and may be contributing to health problems. According to federal transportation and health surveys, the portion of Americans walking to work has dropped 25% between 1990 and 2002, while the percentage of overweight Americans has grown by 70%. The medical costs of physical inactivity have been estimated to be about $76 billion a year nationwide.

“We must do more to make our streets safer,” said Pollard. “There are many practical, affordable steps that can improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and encourage walking and bicycling.” These steps include installing sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes, establishing Safe Routes to School programs, and redesigning streets with traffic calming measures that can slow down traffic and provide convenient, safe crossings for pedestrians, he said.