Louisville is the 17th most dangerous city in the country for pedestrians, according toa new study by the National Complete Streets Coalition.The study analyzed pedestrian deaths across the country's top metro areas and created a "danger index" for people who stroll or strut the city's streets. Within the last five years, Louisville’s danger-rate was nearly double the national average.While holding distracted drivers accountable, street design plays the largest role in maintaining a healthy relationship between traffic and pedestrians, the study reported.The Washington, D.C.-based coalition—which promotes walk ability in urban planning and growth—is comprised of numerous state and national public interest groups.Citing federal data, the study chalks higher incident rates to design issues, claiming that low-density areas dependent on wider streets with faster traffic yield the highest risk for pedestrians. Known as "arterial roads," these streets are designed to move the “most traffic possible with minimal delay over long distances," the study states. Map: Where Car vs. Bike Accidents Have Happened in Louisville This YearMore than half of the 45,000 plus pedestrian deaths in the last decade happened on these arterial roadways, with more than 60 percent of fatalities on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or faster.The safest areas for pedestrians were compacted neighborhoods with stress on pedestrian and bicycle awareness, according to the group.Pedestrian safety was recently part of the national conversation when thethen-executive editor of The New York Times, Jill Abramson, wrote about her experience of being hit by a delivery truck.
