Traffic deaths on stretches of Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Seattle have doubled in the last five-year period, despite the city’s goal to reach zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
A KUOW analysis of recent city data shows how a city-wide push to lower speed limits can improve some elements of safety – but experts say there is still work to do when it comes to slowing drivers down and keeping pedestrians safe.
I’m in Chicago and there’s about a mile of my commute that I’m certain has far higher pedestrian injuries than the rest for the same reason you mention. It’s a wide-open street, but I see at least two people every day crossing at random points when the way isn’t clear. The “make the road narrow so people slow down” fix people like to throw about here would likely make it more dangerous because there’d be less visibility.
Other sections have structural issues, but that area is social.