Austin Texas, Like Chicago, Is Struggling With Pedestrian Safety

Austin Texas, Like Chicago, Is Struggling With Pedestrian Safety

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How do we keep people from dying in car crashes? Last week, Chicago marked one year since it launched its Vision Zero campaign to reduce traffic fatalities and pedestrian and cyclist deaths. And so far, the results are mixed. We’re seeing changes on the ground…more crosswalks, electronic speed limit signs, and other improvements. But pedestrian deaths are actually up this year. Rebekah Scheinfeld, commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Transportation, says every year 2000 people are killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes. Chicago is not the only city dealing with that problem. Another is Austin, Texas, which last month wrapped up two years of its Vision Zero program. Audrey McGlinchy is the City Hall reporter at public radio member station KUT in Austin, and she’s been covering efforts to reduce traffic deaths there.