Peace and Planning

We’ve already encountered some of the physical health impacts of cars (reminder: more than 40,000 deaths and millions of injuries a year in the US alone; the global death toll is estimated at 1.3 million). First, we must recall that those deaths and injuries – particularly for pedestrians and cyclers – are more likely to be concentrated in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. This is often due to dangerous road design that induces speeding, such as wide lanes and straight roads, which results in increased injury severity.

Other factors include vehicle type and design, with larger vehicles such as trucks and SUVs featuring higher front-ends or obnoxious appendages like bull bars causing greater risk for pedestrians and cyclers (especially for adolescents)…although this isn’t limited to mega-size vehicles, since sedans with blunt front-ends are also deadly. If you haven’t noticed, our market is now dominated by these ginormous beasts: cars are both getting larger – thanks to a loophole in the CAFE standards that automakers are all to happy to exploit since they make more money off larger vehicles 🤑 – and we generally are seeing fewer sedans on the market (indeed, soon we’ll only have one EV sedan on the market eligible for federal subsidies).

What we’re left with is a car-size arms race – who feels comfortable in a Honda Fit when absurdly large and dangerous Ford F150s are bearing down on us? Sadly, we also currently have a *very* broken system where all of those very legitimate sounding crash safety ratings leave us feeling all snuggly and safe…until we realize that they only account for vehicle occupants and not the people outside of a vehicle with no massive metal box to protect them from your hulking metal box. (Before you continue reading, please sign Jessica Hart’s petition to USDOT to change this offensive practice immediately and send it to your loved ones to get them to add their names.)

Unfortunately, that just scratches the surface when it comes to the adverse physical health impacts of car dependence. For occupants of cars, probably the most detrimental consequence is how long we’re sitting. All of this sitting leads to increases in smoking, lack of physical activity, and cardiovascular disease, among other health impacts. One of the more interesting pieces of research out there even linked suburban sprawl to worse physical health outcomes, finding that an increase in sprawl lead to an increase in adverse health conditions that in some cases was “approximately similar to an aging of the population of 4 years” (Sturm and Cohen, 2004) 🙀

And while we thought the pandemic would reduce our driving thanks to a large-scale shift to remove work, we actually see that we’re driving just as much – in some places, even more – as we did before COVID…we’re just substituting commuting trips with trips for other purposes. When we used to hit the store on the way home from work or stop by the post office on our lunch break, we’re now dedicating specific trips to running (driving) errands.

We also know that cars emit pollution (don’t get me started on those who take this to a whole new – and completely atrocious – level so they can spew *literal* hate at people who are using more sustainable modes of transportation, which btw this article fails to distinguish that when it happens to pedestrians and cyclers who aren’t protected by their EVs it’s even more unconscionable…I just can’t even 😤). I’m not just talking about tailpipe emissions; components like tires and braking systems emit teensy tiny particulates that just love to find their way into our lungs, leading to who-knows-how-many health issues. What’s concerning about this is that EVs are becoming heavier and with that heft comes increased tire wear and more particulates being released into the air. All told, pollution from the transportation sector claims the lives of an estimated 385,000 people globally a year and exerts an annual economic cost of $1 trillion (US dollars in 2015). This is to say nothing of the fact that – yet again – we see these impacts disproportionately impacting marginalized populations, perpetuating the harmful land use decisions of generations past by dooming generations to come.

So what can you do? First, for real sign that petition if you haven’t already. Otherwise, fortunately we have a sense of what reduces crashes – a high quality connected sidewalk network for pedestrians, protected infrastructure for cyclers and other micromobility users, daylighting (lots on that, including this interview with the mayor of Hoboken, where they haven’t had a road fatality since 2017), streateries, and even street art can help keep all road users safe. Even temporary changes can make a big impact, so see if there are groups in your area working on quick demonstration projects that show what’s possible. Of course, we can advocate for better public transportation. And maybe instead of investing in that EV, jump on the e-bike wagon bike(?) to reduce how much you’re polluting other people’s lungs, reduce the risk of maiming another human being, AND increase your daily activity/vitamin D/joy.

Until next time, I invite you to get curious – what comes to mind when you envision more peaceful streets? ✌️🚸

For research articles on this topic, see:

Abou-Senna, H., Radwan, E., & Mohamed, A. (2022). Investigating the correlation between sidewalks and pedestrian safety. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 166, 106548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106548

Anderson, C. L., Vaca, F. E., & Chakravarthy, B. (2010). Socioeconomic disparities in pedestrian injuries. Injury Prevention, 16, A259. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2010.029215.922

Anenberg, S. C., Miller, J., Henze, D. K., Minjares, R., & Achakulwisut, P. (2019). The global burden of transportation tailpipe emissions on air pollution-related mortality in 2010 and 2015. Environmental Research Letters, 14(9), 94012-. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab35fc

Barajas, J. M. (2018). Not all crashes are created equal: Associations between the built environment and disparities in bicycle collisions. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 11(1), 865–882.

Bondorf, L., Köhler, L., Grein, T., Epple, F., Philipps, F., Aigner, M., & Schripp, T. (2023). Airborne Brake Wear Emissions from a Battery Electric Vehicle. Atmosphere, 14(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14030488

Brugge, D., Durant, J. L., & Rioux, C. (2007). Near-highway pollutants in motor vehicle exhaust: A review of epidemiologic evidence of cardiac and pulmonary health risks. Environmental Health, 6(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-6-23

Carlson, J. A., Grimes, A., Green, M., Morefield, T., Steel, C., Reddy, A., Bejarano, C., Shook, R. P., Moore, T., Steele, L., Campbell, K., & Rogers, E. (2019). Impacts of temporary pedestrian streetscape improvements on pedestrian and vehicle activity and community perceptions. Journal of Transport & Health, 15, 100791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2019.100791

Cottrill, C. D., & Thakuriah, P. (Vonu). (2010). Evaluating pedestrian crashes in areas with high low-income or minority populations. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42(6), 1718–1728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2010.04.012

Desapriya, E., Kerr, J. M., Hewapathirane, D. S., Peiris, D., Mann, B., Gomes, N., Peiris, K., Scime, G., & Jones, J. (2012). Bull bars and vulnerable road users. Traffic Injury Prevention, 13(1), 86–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2011.624143

DiMaggio, C., Durkin, M., & Richardson, L. D. (2006). The association of light trucks and vans with paediatric pedestrian deaths. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 13(2), 95–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457300500310038

Ding, D., Gebel, K., Phongsavan, P., Bauman, A. E., & Merom, D. (2014). Driving: A road to unhealthy lifestyles and poor health outcomes. PloS One, 9(6), e94602. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0094602

Edwards, M., & Leonard, D. (2022). Effects of large vehicles on pedestrian and pedalcyclist injury severity. Journal of Safety Research, 82, 275–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2022.06.005

Ewing, R., & Dumbaugh, E. (2009). The Built Environment and Traffic Safety: A Review of Empirical Evidence. Journal of Planning Literature, 23(4), 347–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412209335553

Ewing, R., Hamidi, S., & Grace, J. B. (2016). Urban sprawl as a risk factor in motor vehicle crashes. Urban Studies, 53(2), 247–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098014562331

Farmer, C. M. (2017). Relationship of traffic fatality rates to maximum state speed limits. Traffic Injury Prevention, 18(4), 375–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2016.1213821

Gutschow, B., Gray, B., Ragavan, M. I., Sheffield, P. E., Philipsborn, R. P., & Jee, S. H. (2021). The intersection of pediatrics, climate change, and structural racism: Ensuring health equity through climate justice. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 51(6), 101028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2021.101028

Hussain, Q., Feng, H., Grzebieta, R., Brijs, T., & Olivier, J. (2019). The relationship between impact speed and the probability of pedestrian fatality during a vehicle-pedestrian crash: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 129, 241–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2019.05.033

Jonson, J. E., Borken-Kleefeld, J., Simpson, D., Nyíri, A., Posch, M., Heyes, C., & Link to external site, this link will open in a new window. (2016). Impact of excess NOx emissions from diesel cars on air quality, public health and eutrophication in Europe. Environmental Research Letters, 12(9). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8850

Li, X., Yu, S., Huang, X., Dadashova, B., Cui, W., & Zhang, Z. (2022). Do underserved and socially vulnerable communities observe more crashes? A spatial examination of social vulnerability and crash risks in Texas. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 173, 106721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2022.106721

Lusk, A. C., Furth, P. G., Morency, P., Miranda-Moreno, L. F., Willett, W. C., & Dennerlein, J. T. (2011). Risk of injury for bicycling on cycle tracks versus in the street. Injury Prevention, 17(2), 131–135. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2010.028696

Rebentisch, H., Wasfi, R., Piatkowski, D. P., & Manaugh, K. (2019). Safe Streets for All? Analyzing Infrastructural Response to Pedestrian and Cyclist Crashes in New York City, 2009–2018. Transportation Research Record, 2673(2), 672–685. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118821672

Reynolds, C. C., Harris, M. A., Teschke, K., Cripton, P. A., & Winters, M. (2009). The impact of transportation infrastructure on bicycling injuries and crashes: A review of the literature. Environmental Health, 8(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-8-47

Riggs, W., & Gilderbloom, J. I. “Hans.” (2017). How multi-lane, one-way street design shapes neighbourhood life: Collisions, crime and community. Local Environment, 22(8), 917–933. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2017.1303666

Rifaat, S. M., & Tay, R. (2009). Effects of Street Patterns on Injury Risks in Two-Vehicle Crashes. Transportation Research Record, 2102(1), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.3141/2102-08

Schneider, R. J. (2020). United States Pedestrian Fatality Trends, 1977 to 2016. Transportation Research Record, 2674(9), 1069–1083. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198120933636

Simms, C. K., & Wood, D. P. (2006). Pedestrian Risk from Cars and Sport Utility Vehicles—A Comparative Analytical Study. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, 220(8), 1085–1100. https://doi.org/10.1243/09544070JAUTO319

Stoker, P., Garfinkel-Castro, A., Khayesi, M., Odero, W., Mwangi, M. N., Peden, M., & Ewing, R. (2015). Pedestrian Safety and the Built Environment: A Review of the Risk Factors. Journal of Planning Literature, 30(4), 377–392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412215595438

Sturm, R., & Cohen, D. A. (2004). Suburban sprawl and physical and mental health. Public Health, 118(7), 488–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2004.02.007

Sugiyama, T., Chandrabose, M., Homer, A. R., Sugiyama, M., Dunstan, D. W., & Owen, N. (2020). Car use and cardiovascular disease risk: Systematic review and implications for transport research. Journal of Transport & Health, 19, 100930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2020.100930

Taylor, N. L., Porter, J. M., Bryan, S., Harmon, K. J., & Sandt, L. S. (2023). Structural Racism and Pedestrian Safety: Measuring the Association Between Historical Redlining and Contemporary Pedestrian Fatalities Across the United States, 2010‒2019. American Journal of Public Health, 113(4), 420–428. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307192

Timmers, V. R. J. H., & Achten, P. A. J. (2016). Non-exhaust PM emissions from electric vehicles. Atmospheric Environment, 134, 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.03.017

World Health Organization. (2018). Global status report on road safety 2018 (Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789241565684

Yuan, Q., & Wang, J. (2021). Goods movement, road safety, and spatial inequity: Evaluating freight-related crashes in low-income or minority neighborhoods. Journal of Transport Geography, 96, 103186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103186