Cleveland ranks among safest big metros for walking
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Cleveland continues to be one of the safer cities for pedestrians, according to a report from Smart Growth America.
Why it matters: Pedestrian safety is especially important in Cleveland, which is considered to be one of the nation's most equitably walkable cities.
How it works: The Dangerous by Design report examined pedestrian deaths from 2020 through 2024 and ranked the nation's 101 largest metro areas by annual pedestrian fatality rates.
By the numbers: Drivers killed 122 pedestrians in Cleveland over the last five years. While still a tragic number, Cleveland had the 13th lowest pedestrian fatality rate among cities tracked.
- Cleveland had an average annual fatality rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate among major Ohio cities.
Zoom out: Ohio ranked 38th among all states for pedestrian fatality rates, with 754 pedestrian deaths from 2020 to 2024.
- Columbus (No. 73), Dayton (tied for No. 74 with Rochester, New York), Cincinnati (No. 83), Akron and Toledo (both tied for No. 85) all joined Cleveland (No. 89) in having among the lower fatality rates of cities studied.
Flashback: Cleveland's numbers are similar to what they were in 2024, the last time Smart Growth America issued its report.
- The city's pedestrian fatality rate was 1.07 per 100,000 residents between 2018 and 2022, with 111 deaths during that period.
Between the lines: The researchers argue that road design shapes driver behavior in "invisible but powerful ways" and that the country's streets are often "built to prioritize the speed and convenience of cars" over safety.
- Specifically, they point to roads with "too-wide lanes, infrequent pedestrian crossings, and poor visibility," which they say disproportionately endanger communities of color and lower-income neighborhoods.
- American Indian and Alaska Native people are killed while walking at 3.7 times the national rate, while Black Americans die at 1.7 times the national rate, according to the report.