America's Most Dangerous Cities for Pedestrians

The non-partisan transportation advocacy group has put out it's most recent rankings for pedestrian safety in America. Where are you most unsafe as a pedestrian? Remember the 80s New Wave hit "Walking in L.A." by the under-appreciated band Missing Persons? The lyrics said "only a nobody walks in L.A." well, they would be safer than if they were walking in Florida.

When cities were ranked according the their safety level for walking, Florida didn't do well. You might think being blessed as the "Sunshine State," Floridians would have made better use of their resources for making good walking spaces and routes. Oh, that's right - they have suffered under Republican governors and/or legislators for years. You get what you elect, eh?

If you look at the list, the worst four performers are in Florida - #1 Orlando- Kissimmee, #2 Tampa-Saint Petersburg, #3 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, and #4 Jacksonville. Also worth noting is that you have to go all the way to #11, Las Vegas, before you cross north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Again, the land of Republican leadership serving it's people well.

When you start at the other end, best to worst, you don't get anywhere in the South until #14, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News. The safest city for pedestrians is Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN. Information so far was taken from the graph for the 52 largest metro areas in the United States.

Another graph points to data in the 360 biggest metro areas in America. Punta Gorda comes in the worst for Florida. In fact, all 20 Florida metro areas fare worse than many states listed. I lived in Florida for a few months and can vouch for the lack of pedestrian resources, but this is ridiculous!

I do remember a street outside of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa getting named something like "safest street design for pedestrians" by the Tampa Tribune. It was funny, because there weren't even sidewalks on the street. Turns out, it was the only street entered and won by default. Shows you the level of commitment to pedestrian safety in good old Tampa.

The group Transportation for America (www.t4america.org) advocates for better options in transportation, including walking, biking, and mass transit. Real transportation investment could prove to be a vital part of economic stimulus that gets Americans working, not to mention all the health benefits!