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Streets for People

Walking is a great way to get around. For short trips, for exercise, or just for fun, walking can be better than driving or riding. But in many cities, walking can also be dangerous. Cars, trucks, and motorcycles are a danger to pedestrians, and sometimes there are accidents.

David Engwicht, from Brisbane, Australia, wants to do something about this. His book, Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns, has a simple message: We need to take back our streets and make them better places for walking.

In the past, Engwicht says, streets belonged to everybody. Children played there, and people walked to work or to stores. Now, however, most city engineers design streets for vehicles. People stay inside buildings to get away from the crowded sidewalks, the noisy streets, and the dangerous traffic. Unfortunately, this gives them less contact with their neighbors.

Many cities are working to make their streets safer for pedestrians. There are new crosswalks on the streets and more traffic lights and bicycle lanes. The city of Florence, Italy, only allows cars and buses with special permits to drive on its historic city streets. In Boston, US, the Slow Streets Program gives some neighborhoods more stop signs and a 20 mph (32 kph) speed limit.

Engwicht travels around the world, helping people think differently about pedestrians, streets, and neighborhoods. Whether we live in a small town or a city with a population in the millions, Engwicht says we should think of streets as our “outdoor living room.” Changing the traffic is just the beginning.

In the future, streets may again be safe places for people, and walking will be an even better form of transportation than it is now.

accident (n) something harmful or unpleasant that happens by surprise

sidewalk (n) a path with a hard surface along the side of a street

crosswalk (n) a place where drivers must stop to let pedestrians cross a street

lane (n) a part of a street that is marked with painted lines

permit (n) an official document that allows you to do something