Why is addressing pedestrian safety necessary? Attachment C <br />Attachment B <br />1.1 Guiding principles <br />1.1.1 The importance of safe walking <br />We are all pedestrians. Walking is a basic and common mode of transport in all <br />societies around the world. Virtually every trip begins and ends with walking. <br />Walking comprises the sole means of travel on some journeys, whether a long trip or <br />a short stroll to a shop. In other journeys, a person may walk for one or more portion <br />of the trip, for example, walking to and from bus stops, with a bus trip in between. <br />Walking has well established health and environmental benefits such as increasing <br />physical activity that may lead to reduced cardiovascular and obesity-related diseases, <br />and many countries have begun to implement policies to encourage walking as an <br />important mode of transport (1-3). Unfortunately, in some situations increased <br />walking can lead to increased risk of road traffic crashes and injury. Due to the <br />dramatic growth in the number of motor vehicles and the frequency of their use <br />around the world - as well as the general neglect of pedestrian needs in roadway <br />design and land-use planning - pedestrians are increasingly susceptible to road traffic <br />injury (4). Pedestrian vulnerability is further heightened in settings where traffic laws <br />are inadequately enforced (S). <br />4 <br />Page 149 <br />