Dallas is not a city for pedestrians. High speed limits, few decent street crossings and long stretches without a sidewalk in sight. Crossing the street should not be a life-or-death situation, but too often it feels that way.

The city has a long-term plan that is already making an impact but is moving in slow motion. Officials still need to bring pedestrian safety to the forefront.

In 2023, there were 71 fatal crashes involving pedestrians and 198 crashes with severe injuries involving pedestrians, according to the city’s Vision Zero Dashboard. Vision Zero is an ambitious plan to reduce traffic fatalities and severe injury crashes by 50% by 2030, including pedestrian accidents.

Vision Zero has already identified the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in Dallas, with the top spot going to Maple Avenue, between Oak Lawn Avenue and Hudnall Street. A safety plan that includes bike lanes and enhanced pedestrian crossings was presented in late July and has been given priority by the city.

Another effective way to reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries is by reducing speed limits. There is a correlation between speed limits and fatality rates with pedestrians, studies show, even by reducing 5 miles per hour. This is the spirit of a new ordinance for the East Ledbetter corridor, which is part of Loop 12. That stretch of road, according to a Texas Department of Transportation analysis and highlighted by KXAS-TV (NBC5), is the deadliest roadway for traffic crashes.

Redesigning portions of Loop 12 to slow down cars is part of a larger multiagency plan, Michael Morris, director of Transportation at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, told NBC5.

NTCOG is presenting a legislative plan for the region to enhance street safety, including automated speed enforcement over 90 mph and measures that improve bicycle and pedestrian safety focusing on areas with pedestrian movements.

Dallas also has ambitious projects for traffic safety that are waiting for bond money to kick in. However, completion dates in some cases are expected for 2027. With the information the city already has from Vision Zero, officials should consider repurposing funds to give priority to some of these projects.

Meanwhile, adding pedestrian crossings is relatively inexpensive and yet effective. Dallas City Council member Chad West told us some parts of his district, in north Oak Cliff, are using reflective delineators — bright traffic poles — that have been effective in reducing traffic speeds.

West, along with council member Jesse Moreno, started the Street Design Manual Work Group last year to review the city’s current Street Design Manual and to consider how to incorporate Vision Zero with other citywide initiatives. A report is expected by the end of this year.

Getting these plans into action takes time, but the city has enough information on the table to take immediate action in some high-risk areas with an added sense of urgency.

So far this year, there have been 48 pedestrian deaths and 107 severe injuries. These numbers are proof that there is much work to be done.

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