Pedestrian deaths renew warnings
Three people on foot killed by vehicles in Austin this week.
After three people were hit and killed by vehicles this week, Austin transportation officials are reminding pedestrians to stick to crosswalks and drivers to slow down.
Early Friday, a man in his 20s tried to cross southbound Interstate 35 near Sixth Street and died after being hit by an 18-wheeler, police said. No one was charged in the incident.
Another man, in his 40s, died Thursday after a vehicle hit him in the westbound lanes of East Anderson Lane at Norwood Park Boulevard about 8:40 a.m. Police are still investigating the crash.
And on Monday morning, Scott Gerald Whiting, 37, was killed in a hit-and-run in the 5700 block of West Parmer Lane. A bicyclist found him lying in the road near McNeil Drive and called police. Investigators said Whiting was walking in the bike lane or on the grassy shoulder when he was hit. A suspect has not been identified.
Twenty-three pedestrians were killed in auto crashes last year and 28 in 2016, police data shows. So far this year, 14 pedestrians have been killed in auto crashes, including the incidents from this week.
Police say the number of traffic fatalities this year is not unusual.
“We range between 60 to 70 traffic fatalities throughout the year, so we’re on pace to hit that,” Austin police officer Bino Cadenas said. “Again, we’d like to remind the public to please utilize the intersection if you’re going to cross.”
Low visibility, speeding, drunken driving and crossing in unsafe areas are often factors in pedestrian deaths, said Joel Meyer, the city’s pedestrian coordinator for the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.
Crashes often occur at night when it’s hard to see people on the road or sidewalks, he said. And the faster a driver goes, the more difficult it becomes for the driver to slow down and avoid pedestrians.
“T hese areas t h at were designed for car travel don’t mix with more pedestrians,” he said.
Data show Austin saw the low-
‘Again, we’d like to remind the public to please utilize the intersection if you’re going to cross.’ Bino Cadenas Austin police officer
est number of total traffic fatalities in 2010 when 49 people were killed.
The worst year for traffic deaths was in 2015, when 102 people were killed. Since then, the Austin area has had 79 deaths in 2016 and 75 in 2017.
As Austin has grown, the demand for walkable spaces and transit use has increased, Meyer said.
Areas that are walkable are often less affordable, causing residents to move outward into areas along highways, he said.
Austin’s homeless population is also at risk of pedestrian crashes because a large number of them shelter under overpasses near the road. “That’s just not a good combination,” Meyer said.
The city is improving a number of intersections to make them safer for pedestrians.
Recently, the intersection of Oltorf Street and South Congress Avenue in South Austin received a makeover to change the way some lanes are configured and the timing of signals to make it safer for drivers who are turning and pedestrians crossing the road, Meyer said.
The cost for each intersection improvement project varies from $500,000 to $1 million and uses money from the 2016 Mobility Bond, he said.
Contact Kelsey Bradshaw at 512-445-3617.