Metro Denver ranks poorly for safe streets
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Denver metro areas roadways are a far cry from the country's safest, according to a recent report looking at the nation's biggest cities.
The big picture: The New York, Boston and Portland, Oregon, metros have the country's safest roadways, while Denver ranked 41st, per StreetLight Data's new "U.S. Safe Streets Index."
Why it matters: The report suggests the metro area's traffic safety needs considerable improvement, with Denver reeling from one of its deadliest years on record.
How it works: The rankings are based on five key factors among the 100 biggest U.S. metros:
- Vehicle miles traveled, different speeds between vehicles, speed-based pedestrian risk, speeding in residential zones, and truck activity.
Zoom in: Metro Denver's roadways scored poorly on speed differential risk, truck activity and vehicle miles traveled.
- Residential speeding earned the highest score. Notably, Denver has a 20 mph speed limit for residential streets.
Between the lines: "Larger metros tend to perform better overall for roadway safety, despite popular misconceptions that big cities are more dangerous," said the transportation analytics firm.