Skip to main content

Right urban design can cut traffic accidents – report

Building and retrofitting urban environments and reducing vehicle speeds are the key to creating safer streets and cutting traffic fatalities, a new report says. Cities Safer by Design, by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, offers practical guidance for urban planners and policymakers, and includes more than 30 specific urban design recommendations.
August 28, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

Building and retrofitting urban environments and reducing vehicle speeds are the key to creating safer streets and cutting traffic fatalities, a new report says.

Cities Safer by Design, by the 4722 World Resources Institute (WRI) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, offers practical guidance for urban planners and policymakers, and includes more than 30 specific urban design recommendations.

The report focuses on improving infrastructure for pedestrians, cycling and mass transport, and outlines two ways to improve traffic safety in cities.
First, by building and retrofitting urban environments to reduce the need for individual vehicle trips; and second, by reducing vehicle speeds in areas where cars, pedestrians and cyclists mix.

'It’s often children, the elderly and the poor who are most at risk for traffic accidents,’ said Ben Welle, senior associate at WRI and one of the report’s co-authors.

‘As cities around the world rapidly expand, there’s an urgent need to design communities that are compact and connected, with calm traffic and streets that promote walking, cycling and access to transit,’ he added.

The report includes examples from specific cities and provides examples from Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, New York, Paris and more.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Navigating the data privacy landscape
    July 24, 2023
    If customer data is not protected then the journey towards better, less polluting public transport solutions is likely to be delayed, warns Alexis Suggett of Cubic Transportation Systems
  • How technology is propelling the development of urban shared transport
    April 11, 2024
    Over 18 million people use ride-hailing apps in the UK alone, says Mariusz Zabrocki of Freenow
  • The future looks bright for ITS
    June 4, 2015
    Professor Eric Sampson talks about the past successes of ITS, its potential for the future and the challenges the industry faces. If anybody should know when Intelligent Transport Systems started that person is Professor Eric Sampson, a visiting professor at both Newcastle and London City Universities. Having spent 40 years working for the UK’s Department of Transport and other public administrations, Professor Sampson now supports the European Commission on ITS systems and advises ERTICO ITS-Europe and ITS
  • C/AVs & smart cities: a symbiotic relationship, says WSP
    December 5, 2018
    C/AVs and smart cities are still in their infancy. But Mike Warren suggests thatintegrating their data and services can create a co-operative relationship that improves safety, liveability and the economy for citizens The recent technological boom has led to two major public advances: connected and automated vehicles (C/AVs) and smart cities. While these are significant in their own right, when coupled together they create a new way in which citizens can access city services; live in safer, environment