STOCKTON, Calif. — Multiple cities in Northern California ranked among the most dangerous for walking, according to a Smart Growth America report. Stockton, in particular, ranked among the most dangerous.
According to the report, Stockton was one of the metro areas that grew more deadly "at an astonishing rate." Their average pedestrian death rate per 100,000 people per year was 3.35. They had a total of 126 pedestrian deaths between 2016 and 2020, and came in ninth out of 101 metro areas in the report.
ABC10 reached out to the City of Stockton seeking comment on the report twice, but no response was given by time of publication.
The metro area for Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom also ranked among the most dangerous for pedestrians. It was ranked 27th as a metro area, and the average pedestrian deaths were 2.53 per 100,000 people per year. It saw 296 pedestrian deaths between 2016 and 2020.
Two requests for comment about the report were sent out to the cities of Folsom and Roseville, but neither responded by time of publication.
The city of Sacramento however did respond and emphasized their role as a "Vision Zero" city, meaning their philosophy is that traffic crashes are preventable incidents that must be systematically addressed. Their goal is to make safer streets and end all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2027.
"In recent years, the City has adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan, reduced the speed limit in school zones, adopted the Vision Zero Top 5 Corridors Plan and School Safety Study, and is working on implementing several major traffic safety projects including on Broadway between MLK and Stockton and Florin Rd between 24th Street and Munson Way," said spokesperson Gabby Miller.
Details on those projects are available HERE.
California overall was ranked as the ninth state most dangerous for pedestrians with 4,729 deaths between 2016 and 2020.
The report used data spanning 2016 to 2020 with additional data from the National Highway Traffic Administration. While multiple factors are at play in pedestrian deaths, the reports said streets compromise the safety of people who use them in order to get cars moving through the roadways quicker.
To read the full report, click HERE.
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