How Six Inches of Concrete Can Mean Life or Death

Every so often, when I'm working from my backyard I hear a distressing yet surprisingly common sound that goes something like this:

You'd think with all the collision repair cost, rising insurance premiums, and moving violation fees that the city would do something about this — but the reality is that most neighborhood road improvements are relegated to good samaritans with the time and energy to follow a rigorous petition process that requires gathering evidence, contacting your city councilperson, and waiting, with no guarantee for approval.

While some cities and counties are certainly better than most, a familiar theme emerges — larger populations mean a greater volume of requests resulting in fewer approved requests and a bloated municipal management system. Still, as citizens, we can be hopeful that programs like LADOT Livable Streets are putting our interests into policy conversations. But is it enough?

In 2019, 134 pedestrians were killed by drivers while walking in Los Angeles, a bustling city with a population of just under 4 million. By comparison, the Netherlands reported a total of 49 pedestrian road fatalities in 2019 in a population of more than 17 million. While any number of deaths is too much by any measure of success, it's safe to conclude that the Dutch are doing something far more effective than what's happening in one of the largest cities in the United States.

Find more statistics at Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

In my research, I learned about a program that is gaining traction in America, an initiative managed by the Department of Transportation called Vision Zero. Across the United States, the initiative has picked up momentum since its introduction in 1995. New York City, San Jose, San Francisco, and many other major cities around the country have adopted their own Vision Zero policies localized for the types of driving-related incidents in their jurisdictions.

The goal is simple — achieving Zero Traffic Deaths in the US by 2050. Policymakers and citizens are all committed to making this a reality, so why is it taking so long?

The answer is also simple — design.

But if we look at the list of wishes and strategies that policymakers are advocating for you'll find something like this:

1. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in all vehicles (technology)

2. Alcohol Detection Systems in all vehicles (technology)

3. Speed management strategies, technologies (technology)

4. Roadway design improvements (design)

5. Shift to more transit, walking, biking trips (behavior)

6. Improved emergency response to crashes (technology)

These solutions account for an estimated 75% reduction in deaths if applied to the number of deaths in 2020 (31,500 saved lives of 42,060 estimated deaths in 2020).

While promising, I also view these solutions as egregiously optimistic. Many rely on technology upgrades that require budget and don't always solve the problem. These solutions put an additional cost burden on drivers and cities that have small budgets to spend infrastructure, let alone neighborhood side streets like mine.

All but two suggest a low-tech approach to resolving the issues and one of these low-tech solutions requires a change in human behavior devoid of any significant adjustments that might encourage a shift towards biking, walking, or public transit.

But while the design changes recommended by the US Road Assessment Program also look like a step in the right direction, they're a double down on the existing, semi-effective solutions that yield the pedestrian safety data we have today — converting intersections to roundabouts, installing roadside barriers, and adding sidewalks to more roads.

That's not enough. This is where the Netherlands lies apart from the North American urban planning and road design.

I want to highlight Continuous Sidewalks, a fact of life in the Netherlands. This idea of adding an additional 6" of concrete/pavers to connect neighborhood sidewalks is nothing new to the Dutch. This common street design creates both a visual and physical distinction between the ground you walk on and the ground you drive on.

For a driver turning off the major road, it signals that they're entering a new zone — one with slower speeds and more pedestrian activity. It's hard to describe how much nicer it is to walk in an environment like this — it feels like the people walking are in control and that drivers are a guest in their environment, not the other way around.

The continuous sidewalk design reframes the interaction from pedestrians stepping off the curb into car space to cars crossing into pedestrian walkways as they turn onto neighborhood streets. This low-tech solution addresses the problem with design by creating a meaningful shift in perspective that promotes pedestrian-friendly roads, encourages a healthier lifestyle, and results in fewer pedestrian fatalities.

American cities should consider implementing a continuous sidewalks program with cautious optimism. What works in the Netherlands may not work in New York City, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Taking a page out of the Lean Startup, we should bring stakeholders to the table to align our goals, establish experiment guardrails, and identify clear success metrics. Testing a hypothesis requires careful planning and data collection, which will help statistically prove the efficacy of the solution in high-value areas and create a bulletproof case for deployment around the country.