A Not So Pedestrian Problem

By Matt Wood in News on Sep 29, 2006 4:52PM

Chicagoist is an enthusiastic proponent of walking as much as possible. We had the good fortune of living close enough to work to walk every day for years, and even though we had other mass transit options, we still preferred to hoof it, mostly because we could. It's a unique benefit of urban living, something we never had in our small town, car-centric childhood.

But as easy and as natural as walking seems, it can also be dangerous. We always scoff at the color-coded alerts and dire warnings about the threat of terrorism, because we're not worried about getting blown up by a suicide bomber. We're worried about getting hit by a bus. The Tribune reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that after two decades of decline, pedestrian deaths are on the rise. Chicago made out relatively well in a 2004 study of the most dangerous major U.S. cities for pedestrians. We only ranked 34th, but that's little consolation to anyone who's ever had a cabbie make a right turn into their kneecaps.

Of course, we can't let pedestrians off the hook completely. Take a drive down Michigan Avenue any given Saturday or through the Loop at quitting time, and you'll consider a little crosswalk bowling with your car too.

So what have been some of your scariest pedestrian experiences? Or, on the flip side, have you ever wanted to leave some tire treads on someone's backside?