Perils For Pedestrians 63

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw-BeNDa1RE

--We look at climate change and personal transportation choices.
--A new pedestrian bridge crosses a rail yard in Missoula, Montana.
--We examine the process it took to get the pedestrian bridge built.
--We talk with the mayor of Houghton, Michigan, about better pedestrian access.
--We learn about the Liveable Winter Cities Association.
--We look at civil engineering and pedestrians.
--A neighborhood association works to make Houghton more liveable and walkable.
. . . . . . . . "Perils For Pedestrians" can be seen on public access cable channels in 150 cities. Help us get it on the public access channel where you live. www.pedestrians.org

Move from Blip to YouTube

The old "Perils For Pedestrians" account on Blip.TV will be erased on September 1.  The new home for "Perils For Pedestrians" is on YouTube at http://www.YouTube.com/PedAdvocate

If you have any links to P4P on Blip, or any really old links to P4P on Google Video, please update them to YouTube so that they will still work.

Thank you.

Utilities as Neighbors: PEPCO vs. Transcontinental

The Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation has a Right Of Way crossing Olney, Maryland.  So does PEPCO.  The Transcontinental ROW has a paved pedestrian/bicycle trail that helps connect the neighborhoods along the ROW.  The Transcontinental ROW also has benches, ball fields, and other amenities for the community.  PEPCO has "No Trespassing" signs.  Why do some utilities treat their neighbors like guests, while other utilities treat their neighbors like criminals?

Transportation Right Of Way Use By Pedestrians

Perils For Pedestrians 186

We learn how speed kills at a pedestrian safety event in Silver Spring, Maryland.

We meet the executive director of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition in Columbia, South Carolina.

We meet a mother whose daughter was killed by a speeding driver in Irmo, South Carolina.

Sidewalk Obstructions

I have added a new page on Sidewalk Obstructions on my website. Utilities such as the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) and PEPCO often use the sidewalk as a convenient place to put hydrants and poles, despite the negative impact that has on pedestrians.

In this image, the old WSSC hydrant has blocked the sidewalk for 50 years.  The FH in white paint marks where the new WSSC hydrant will block the sidewalk for the next 50 years.  With a complete water system replacement underway, the new hydrant could have been put back behind the sidewalk.  Even the PEPCO pole in the background is located out of the way behind the sidewalk.

Perils For Pedestrians 182

--We visit the Koln International School of Design in Germany (KISD). Their Cultural Library program has students look at everyday things from a new perspective. Results are compared with students in other countries. Two of the projects looked at parking bicycles and waiting at bus stops. --How might a designer think about electric vehicles? --We talk with a bicyclist who moved from Amsterdam to Cologne. --We meet a pedestrian advocate from Nairobi at the Walk21 conference. --We look at the LifeCycle project to promote bicycling in Aveiro, Portugal. --We walk across the busiest railroad bridge in Germany, the Hohensollern Bridge over the Rhine River in Cologne.

Perils For Pedestrians 181: Portugal

--We talk with an anthropologist in Lisbon, Portugal, about pedestrians and traffic conflicts. --We talk with a city counselor in Aveiro, Portugal, about walking. --We look at the Active Access European project to encourage walking.