A recent Washington Post article reported on a

A recent Washington Post article reported on a “new crusade” for pedestrian safety. “It is a small but growing uprising against the excesses of the nation’s car culture,” reports the Post, which cites grass roots programs in a half dozen cities promoting traffic calming, crosswalks, and greater enforcement of traffic laws. The Post also cites the U.S. Department of Transportation in stating that pedestrian deaths have declined by six percent in the last five years. “In 1998, the last year for which national figures are available, more than 5,200 pedestrians were killed and 70,000 were injured.” A decline in walking is the likely explanation. “In a 1990 survey, the Transportation Department found that walking accounted for seven percent of personal trips. Five years later, it had fallen to five percent.”