2007 Benchmarking Report - Alliance for Biking & Walking

anks lowest here with only 4.0% walking mode share. People in
major cities are 1.8 times more likely to walk to work than their
counterparts nationwide, according to ACS data. Using NHTS
estimates for all trips by cities, New York City ranks highest with
19.2% of trips estimated to be by foot. Louisville and Houston
rank lowest with an estimated 4.5% walking mode share.
Who Walks
Data on pedestrian demographics have the same limitations
as with cyclists (outlined in Chapter 3). For this report,
ACS and NHTS data provided demographic information including
sex, ethnicity and income levels of pedestrians. There is significantly
less difference in the male to female sex ratio among
pedestrians compared to cyclists. Although on average, men are
still more likely to walk than women (55% of walking trips are
by men), the gap between the sexes is much smaller than with
cycling.
The ethnicity gap, however, is much greater among
pedestrians than cyclists. Among non-white workers, 3.6% walk
to work. This makes non-whites 1.3 times more likely to walk to
work than the average person. The differences in income levels
of pedestrians are also more striking than among cyclists. In all
states, at least 60% of pedestrians earn $35,000 per year or less.
New York City pedestrians
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVIS CRESNEY
In 13 states, over 50% of pedestrians earn less than $15,000 per
year. New York state has the most even income distribution of
walk trips to work.
How Safe Is Walking in the U.S.
Pedestrians are at a disproportionate risk of fatality.
Thunderhead collected data from two national sources and State
and City surveys. For the same reasons outlined in the previous
chapter on cycling, FARS data was used for all analysis of
pedestrian fatalities for states. City Surveys provided all data on
fatalities for cities.
Although it is estimated that 8.7% of all trips are walking
(NHTS), 11% of traffic fatalities are pedestrians. The disparity is
even higher in major U.S. cities where 11% of all trips are walking,
yet 14% of all traffic fatalities are pedestrians. Although the
trend varies among cities and states, some have an even greater
risk. In New York City, where 19.2% of trips are walking, 53% of
traffic fatalities are pedestrians. New York City reports an average
of 167 pedestrians killed each year over the last three years.
However, in urban areas, the last block or two of a transit or car
trip may be walking, so these ratios may be slightly off. Better
trip count methodologies are needed for a more accurate analysis
of fatality data.
CURRENT STATUS OF WALKING
Benchmarking Bicycling & Bicycling Walking & in Walking/ the U.S./ Thunderhead Alliance 2007
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