Many people in Cincinnati find there are times when it is simply easier to walk to where they need to go, rather than driving themselves or taking public transportation. Still, it is not always safe to travel on foot, especially in high-traffic areas where motorists may not be practicing pedestrian awareness.
Cincinnati makes pedestrian safety a priority
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, since 2017, almost 850 people lost their lives in auto-pedestrian accidents. In an effort to reduce these types of crashes, the city of Cincinnati has accepted $20 million in the federal RAISE grant with the purpose of keeping pedestrians safe. The grant will go to public infrastructure in the neighborhoods of West End, Queensgate and Lower Price.
In addition to the RAISE Grant, the Cincinnati City Council has proposed taking $3.4 million from the fiscal year surplus to take even greater actions to keep pedestrians safe. If approved, these funds will be used on 15 safety projects in Cincinnati.
Pedestrian accidents are serious
Pedestrian accidents have the potential to be serious or even fatal. After all, pedestrians are much smaller than automobiles and have nothing to protect them when struck. Even low-speed crashes can cause significant injury or death.
Traffic rules exist to keep pedestrians safe. For example, rules regarding crosswalks and when to yield to pedestrians can keep pedestrians safe when they share the road with automobiles.
Pedestrians deserve to be safe when walking the streets of Cincinnati. With proper education, infrastructure and community awareness, is the hope is that the number of auto-pedestrian accidents will decrease.