Mayor announces creation of Pedestrian Safety Task Force

Mayor Bob McDavid has announced the creation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Pedestrian Safety, designed to address Columbia’s recent increase in pedestrian-related automobile crashes.

The task force was approved at a city council meeting May 19.

“I want to find out whether this is an unusual trend, how pedestrian safety in Columbia compares with our peer cities and what steps we need to take to protect people,” McDavid said.

McDavid appointed city council representatives Clyde Ruffin and Ian Thomas to direct the task force. Ruffin and Thomas will lead a team of 15 total members for six to 12 months before delivering a report and recommendations to the city council. Several city commissions, neighborhood associations, the University of Missouri, Missouri Students Association and Missouri Department of Transportation will be invited to participate.

The need for the task force arose after an influx in pedestrian-related accidents, McDavid said. Four pedestrians have been killed and four others seriously injured in seven different crashes in Columbia since October 2014. Recent pedestrian injuries in Columbia have occurred on high traffic streets, including Rangeline Street, Stadium Boulevard, Providence Road and College Avenue.

Thomas, an employee for the national organization America Walks, said similar increases have occurred across the country.

The U.S Department of Transportation reports that there were 4,743 pedestrian fatalities in the U.S in 2012 and that fatalities have increased 15 percent between 2009 and 2012.

“The cause appears to be a combination of driver and pedestrian inattention, excessive vehicle speeds in areas where people are walking and inadequate pedestrian infrastructure,” Thomas said.

U.S Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx launched the Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets in January 2015, and McDavid is one of 216 participating mayors. The Challenge asks mayors to participate in a number of activities, including educating proper road use, gathering biking and walking data, and using appropriate street designs.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission in Columbia requested that McDavid form a task force.

“I believe the Pedestrian Safety Task Force will have a positive impact on the city,” said Brant Kassel, chair of the commission. “Too many pedestrians have been hit by cars in recent months for the status quo to continue. Columbia is a great place to live and our citizens should feel safe and free to move around Columbia whether they are walking, biking or driving.”