SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee concluded a pair of informational hearings to learn more about and address the growing problems associated with traffic and pedestrian safety.
“The rise in roadway and pedestrian injuries and deaths is alarming,” said Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis), chair of the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee. “These hearings served as an opportunity to examine the causes and consequences of the dramatic increases in traffic and pedestrian fatalities across the state. All Minnesotans deserve to be safe, no matter how they travel.”
On Tuesday, the committee focused on traffic safety. Legislators received an update from Mike Hanson, director of the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety and one of three co-chairs of Toward Zero Deaths, an initiative that coordinates efforts of the Transportation, Health and Public Safety departments to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries. Various representatives with Toward Zero Deaths, in addition to the Minnesota State Patrol, testified roadway deaths have been on the rise over the past two years, despite fewer cars on the road, primarily due to speed. There were 498 roadway deaths in 2021.
“In the past two years, traffic deaths have been on the rise, with 498 people losing their lives in 2021 alone,” said Rep. Erin Koegel (DFL-Spring Lake Park), vice chair of the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee. “These tragedies serve as a heart-breaking reminder we all have an ever-present responsibility to keep our communities safe. Through education, engineering, enforcement, and emergency services, we can work towards zero traffic deaths.”
Today’s hearing was dedicated to pedestrian safety. Last year Minnesota had 58 deaths, which averaged more than one death per week. Committee members received a historical background on street space and utilization from author Angie Schmitt, author of ‘Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America’. Schmitt also shared data demonstrating people of color, Indigenous, lower income individuals, and older adults are disproportionally impacted by lack of access to pedestrian infrastructure.
The Committee also heard testimony from various organizations concerned with the uptick in pedestrian deaths and injuries across the state. These included: the Minnesota Council on Disability; the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; Our Streets Minneapolis; Dakota and Anoka counties; and City of Shorewood Mayor Labadie and City of Blaine Mayor Tim Sanders; and Sierra Club.
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