We are all pedestrians. We all deserve to walk safely.

Whether walking to your car in a parking lot, walking to the nearest bus stop, walking your dog to a park or walking for your entire commute, each of us is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, the roads and streets in Anchorage have not been built to protect and promote people walking.

Nine people walking have been killed on Anchorage roads already this year, equal to the highest annual number in the last decade. This is unacceptable. According to Anchorage’s latest traffic report, Anchorage sees the most pedestrian collisions by vehicles in September and October, including the most fatal collisions. Last fall, four pedestrians were killed in a two-month period. The increasing number of pedestrian fatalities is reflected nationally as well, which is more pronounced given that more people were staying home and driving less over the last year. This is not acceptable on a local or national level.

Walking can be safe, but we need better infrastructure to make it happen. Traffic calming mini-roundabouts on residential streets, like those in the Russian Jack and Airport Heights neighborhoods, help reduce driving speeds in neighborhoods. Reducing the number of driving lanes or widening sidewalks in busy commercial areas, like the northern section of Spenard Road, make a big improvement on traffic safety for everyone on our roadways, especially people walking. Multi-lane, high-speed roads are dangerous for all road users, whether in a car or not. Prioritizing speed over safety continues to put our most vulnerable road users at risk, disproportionately impacting communities of color.

Upgrading our infrastructure won’t happen overnight, but it won’t happen without community members like you commenting on road projects and planning documents (such as signing up for the Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions (AMATS) newsletter or following Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT) Central Region project page). In the meantime, we’re heading into the darker season where snow is often plowed off roadways and onto sidewalks, making walking even more dangerous and highlighting another challenge to improving traffic safety: winter maintenance. If you see a sidewalk or path that needs to be plowed (or swept in the summer), please call the Municipality of Anchorage Street Maintenance dispatch at (907) 343-8277 or the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities maintenance dispatch at (907) 338-1466.

Being able to walk safely throughout Anchorage doesn’t just mean pedestrians need to wear neon and blinking lights. It also means that we design and maintain safer roadways for slower speeds, wider sidewalks, more frequent crosswalks, protected bus access and more. These are solutions at our fingertips to make our roads safer for everyone. As we head into one of the most dangerous seasons on our roads, we need to stay alert for all road users and we need to advocate for safer streets for everyone.

Lindsey Hajduk, Sarah Preskitt, Doug Miller and Chelsea Ward-Waller are concerned Anchorage residents who are engaged on pedestrian and transportation issues.

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