More pedestrians are dying on Denver's streets
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Denver streets are proving especially dangerous for pedestrians this year.
The big picture: 25 pedestrians died on local streets as of Sept. 30, a 50% spike compared to the same span last year, the city's transportation and infrastructure department executive director Amy Ford said Thursday.
- Ford joined the state Department of Transportation (CDOT) and RTD for a press conference highlighting the increase during National Pedestrian Safety Month.
Why it matters: More people in Denver are dying from walking on local roads than any other way — including people inside cars, a category that typically leads in fatal crashes.
What they're saying: "It is too much, and we cannot continue it," Ford said.
State of play: City and transit leaders want drivers to slow down and focus on the road, especially as the days get darker earlier, worsening conditions for pedestrians.
- Fall often coincides with a jump in pedestrian deaths, CDOT chief of staff Sally Chafee said.
Case in point: Last October was the deadliest month on record, with 17 pedestrians killed across the state, per Chafee.
Context: Ford said a pilot program launched by Mayor Mike Johnston last year, focused on reducing speeding on two major thoroughfares, led to a drop in crashes, including 178 fewer accidents so far this year on Federal Boulevard.
- She noted the lane reduction on York Street in the city's east side as another successful case study in reducing speeding.
Yes, but: The city is nowhere near its goal to reduce all traffic deaths by 2030, with the city recording slightly more fatalities so far this year compared to last year.
- Denver recorded its 59th traffic death Thursday morning after a motorcyclist struck a highway barrier on I-70, Denver Police Traffic Investigations Unit detective Joshua Koen said.
Threat level: Authorities are especially alarmed by a rise in people fatally struck while pulled over on interstate roads — with six this year alone.
- Drivers should remember Colorado's move-over law requiring them to move a lane or reduce speeds by 20 miles below the posted limit when vehicles are spotted on the side of the road, Koen added.