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What’s more costly–better infrastructure? Or, a death?
A community-supported blog.
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First, what are people on foot threatened by in the built environment?
A section of “Anatomy of a Pedestrian Fatality” (PDF) via AmericaWalks
This is why making walking a practical form of transportation continually returns to mitigating the costs associated with automobile use and driver behavior. If people are threatened by something, they will avoid that which is creating the threat. For a neighborhood or business district to thrive, walking must be perceived safe, comfortable, and inviting.
The juxtaposition of costs from the full info-graphic is telling. High-visibility crosswalk for $1,200 or $4.3 million for a death? Your choice.
Click to embiggen (PDF)
Info-graphic created and compiled by the America Planning Research Department
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NOTE: The Environmental Protection Agency calculates the cost of a human-life at nearly $7-million in their cost-benefit calculations.
