Examining Pedestrian Safety in the Crescenta Valley

A national advocacy group that looked at a decades worth of data ranked the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area as number 27 in a list of the 52-most-dangerous areas for pedestrians nationwide.

The group, Transportation for America, mapped out the more than 47,000 pedestrian deaths in the country from 2000 to 2009, and according to their figures, there were five pedestrians killed in the Crescenta Valley during that time.

Incidents included:

• 15-year-old girl, killed in February 2003 along Pennsylvania Avenue.
• 46-year-old man, killed in October 2004 along Foothill (210) Freeway. 
• 86-year-old man, killed in September 2006 along the Foothill Boulevard.
• 17-year-old girl, killed in August 2006 along Rosemont Avenue.
• 56 year old man, killed in October 2007 along Montrose Avenue

The Transportation for America report notes that 12 percent of total traffic accidents involve pedestrians and suggests that the main cause of these pedestrian deaths are roads that are poorly designed for pedestrian safety.

The report provides a number of recommendations on how to fix the problem, including expansion of sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes, as well as prioritizing walkers and de-prioritizing the speed of traffic in designing side streets and connector roads.

Do you feel safe walking in Cresenta Valley? .