Las Vegas area not a safe place to walk

Aaron Clemens

Friday, June 16, 2000 | 10:14 a.m.

Pedestrians need to watch their step in this town, especially near automobiles.

The Las Vegas metropolitan area ranks as 16th most dangerous of 46 cities studied by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, according to a study released Thursday.

The Washington-based environmental group, which advocates alternatives to driving, calculated rankings with 1997 and 1998 local pedestrian fatality statistics multiplied by a projection of how much people walk.

In 1998, it was a lower than average year for local pedestrian fatalities, with 30, while 1997 had 46 fatalities. 1996 and 1999 had 52 and 51 deaths respectively.

"It's getting safer every day to drive, but not to walk," said Executive Director Roy Kienitz. "Nationally, 60 percent of accidents were people crossing where there were no sidewalks. In some areas, it's a quarter or half a mile until the next crosswalk."

To prevent people from crossing in dangerous areas, he pointed to pedestrian-friendly designs and funding pedestrian safety measures as a solution.

The problem has developed because for years, corner stores were prohibited and all new residential areas were designed with wide streets and no sidewalks.

"People still walk without sidewalks," he said before pointing out that discouraging walking increases obesity and connected health problems.