Pedestrian safety - Global Road Safety Partnership

Evaluating pedestrian safety programmes
5.2 Advocating for pedestrian safety
Even a locally tailored evidence-based plan of action is not a guarantee of lasting
results once implemented. The natural order of many institutions is to resist change.
When change is required to bring about greater equity and justice, considerable
pressure may be needed to effect that change, especially when the issue or group in
question traditionally has been overlooked. Advocacy or pressure groups can be key
to creating conditions that foster policy and programme change (see Box 5.3). Advocacy
seeks to raise awareness of an issue for the purpose of influencing the policies,
programmes and resources devoted to it (8).
BOX 5.3: Living Streets
In 1929, a group of people became concerned about
the rising tide of automobile use and the associated
rise in deaths of people walking in the UK. They
decided to take action and form the Pedestrians
Association, which became Living Streets in
2001. This group has been the national voice for
pedestrians in the UK throughout its history. In the
early years, their campaigning led to the introduction
of the driving test, zebra crossings, and 50 km/h
speed limits. Today, they influence decision-makers
nationally and locally, run projects to encourage
people to walk, and work to create safe, attractive
and enjoyable streets, where people want to walk.
They have local groups throughout the country, and
they get more than 1.6 million children involved in
their ‘Walk to School’ campaign each year.
Advocacy for pedestrian safety takes many forms including (9):
• urging public officials to change policies, plans, and projects to be more
accommodating to pedestrian safety and travel;
• promoting the importance of safe walking and creating broader demand for safe,
walkable communities (see Box 5.4);
• providing expertise for the benefit of communities;
• urging community leaders or public officials to narrow streets, install walk signals
and widen sidewalks;
• sponsoring neighbourhood walks to introduce the public to the benefits and joys
of walking;
• testifying at hearings; and
• demonstrating in the streets to raise awareness of unsafe pedestrian walking routes.
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