Report: People Walking and Bicycling Are Involved in 3% of All Crashes in Denton but 40% of Fatal Crashes
Fort Worth Drive near I-35, one of Denton’s crash hot spots for people traveling on foot.
Crash data in a Denton staff report released last week indicate that 40 percent of fatal traffic crashes in Denton since 2019 involved someone walking, rolling or bicycling despite these travel modes being involved in only three percent of all crashes city-wide.
According to the report, from January 2019 through November 2022, motorists in Denton struck at least 339 people who were traveling on foot, by wheelchair or by bicycle, killing 22 and seriously injuring 65. During the same period, there were a total of 55 fatal crashes in the Denton city limits in which someone either inside or outside of an automobile was killed.
There was a total of 13,456 reported crashes in the city, with 339 involving someone walking, rolling or bicycling.
Crash hot spots for people walking, rolling or bicycling include high-pedestrian areas like downtown Denton, areas around UNT and near certain city parks or facilities like Evers Park and the North Branch Library.
Other crash hot spots are focused in car-oriented commercial areas with destinations that people need to access. These areas are dangerous for people outside of cars due to prioritization of fast vehicle traffic and inadequate or non-existent infrastructure for anyone traveling outside of an automobile. These include corridors such as University Drive, Forth Worth Drive, Loop 288 and East McKinney Street.
Crash hot spots for pedestrians and bicyclists, January 2019 through December 2, 2022.
All fatal crashes involving someone walking, rolling or bicycling were on or along roads owned by TxDOT: I-35, University Drive, Fort Worth Drive, Dallas Drive, Loop 288 and Sherman Drive. Each of these roads prioritizes fast automobile travel with deadly speeds, multiple lanes and infrequent or dangerous crossing options.
Fatal crashes involving a pedestrian (triangle) or bicyclist (square) from January 2019 to December 2, 2022. Some fatal crashes occurred outside of this map.
The City of Denton is in the process of developing a Vision Zero Action Plan to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries among all road users. As the plan is being developed, city staff are working on initiatives they hope will improve safety. Staff recently recommended new speed limits on certain streets based on crash data and observed driving speeds.
Read: Denton City Council Approves New Speed Limits (12/07/2022, Bike Denton)
TxDOT’s $2.2 billion in road projects for Denton center primarily on providing faster travel for people in automobiles rather than saving lives. Projects include widening existing high-speed roadways or adding more high-speed roads across the city. Sidewalks are typically included, but safe pedestrian crossings are not. No separated bicycle facilities are planned along or across the roadways.
TxDOT’s $2.2 billion in planned roadway projects in the Denton area. Open full report
However, TxDOT has approved Denton’s request to install a pedestrian signal and a traffic signal where someone walking and someone biking were killed: Kings Row at Loop 288 and Kings Row at Sherman Drive. Both projects are part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program, a federal aid program administered by TxDOT.
As part of another safety project on University Drive east of Loop 288, TxDOT is installing a sidewalk on the south side of the roadway. On the north side, between Mayhill and the US 380 entrance of the Greenbelt, TxDOT is installing a 10-foot sidepath for people walking, rolling and bicycling. As part of this project, TxDOT will also install a center median to prevent head-on collisions between motorists.
According to the staff report, additional street lighting will be added along the University Drive corridor by the end of 2026. The project funding was approved by voters as part of the city bond election in 2019.
Read Full Report: Pedestrian and Pedalcyclist Crash Statistics and Review (12/16/2022)
