A report from Transportation for America (T4America) and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership "ranks metropolitan areas based on the relative danger of walking."
Knoxville has a Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) of 54.5. This is a pretty good ranking considering the most dangerous metro area for walking (Orlando, FL, my Orlando) has a PDI of 221.5. Knoxville should be pretty safe considering it is in the top 15 metro areas for average yearly Federal transportation dollars spent on pedestrian safety per person ($4.48 per person).
T4America and STPP hosted a conference call today regarding the new report. Some of the information resulting from the call include: 20% of pedestrian fatalities are on interstates (where pedestrians are not allowed), there is always more to do, and it is not an urban, rural or suburban issue (in response to a caller from Montana).
One possible flaw in the report, it did not take in to consideration the age of the driver. A caller from Florida wanted to know if an aging population of drivers might affect the PDI (Florida has the top 4 most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians). The hosts had no answer to the question.
Major factor concerning pedestrian fatalities: speed. Slow down people!
|
|
Discussing:
- Alcoa Hwy construction to extend to 2030 (2 replies)
- Smith & Wesson noise problem (3 replies)
- Are Chat bots a waste of time? (1 reply)
- Musicians dropping out of President's Freedom Concert Series (1 reply)
- It's time for new blood in Congress, Barnett in - Burchett out (1 reply)
- Burning Down The House... (2 replies)
- Behind Lege Lies (1 reply)
- Peace (1 reply)
- Speak your truth, fight and believe. (1 reply)
- Large banks have too much AI data center debt? (1 reply)
- GOP misleading on federal health care funding (1 reply)
- Feds indict civil rights group (3 replies)
TN Progressive
- Alcoa property taxes will probably not go up (BlountViews)
- Smith & Wesson not a good fit for Blount County (BlountViews)
- Pellissippi Parkway extension delayed again (BlountViews)
- Blount County early voting record turnout (BlountViews)
- WATCH THIS SPACE. (Left Wing Cracker)
- America As It Is Right Now (RoaneViews)
- A friend sent this: From Captain McElwee's Tall Tales of Roane County (RoaneViews)
- The Meidas Touch (RoaneViews)
- Massive Security Breach Analysis (RoaneViews)
- (Whitescreek Journal)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
- July 4, 2024 - aka The Twilight Zone (Joe Powell)
TN Politics
- Stockard on the Stump: Don’t bet your life savings on a gubernatorial debate (TN Lookout)
- Trump couldn’t send troops to the polls without approval of Congress under Dem bill (TN Lookout)
- More Americans are hungry in the face of federal cuts, rising grocery prices (TN Lookout)
- 60-day clock starts for negotiations with Iran over strait, nuclear future (TN Lookout)
- Feds seek dismissal of xAI lawsuit in Memphis and Mississippi (TN Lookout)
- FEMA nominee pressed on whether Trump favors disaster funding requests from GOP states (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Play catch with Lady Vols softball players (Knox TN Today)
- Norris Lake at Oak Grove + Beaver Creek + West Hills picnic (Knox TN Today)
- Dishing It Out: Million Dollar Spaghetti (Knox TN Today)
- Close to Home, Far from Ordinary: East Tennessee ghost stories and local legends (Knox TN Today)
- William Carder, Powell, crowned Tennessee’s Best Bagger (Knox TN Today)
- Bisky is a special resident at Zoo Knoxville (Knox TN Today)
- Dining Duo gives statistics plus two favorite pizza eats (Knox TN Today)
- Hiking with Harrington: Rich Mt. Road (Knox TN Today)
- Plant flowers like wildlife depends on it. They do! (Knox TN Today)
- 6/19 HEADLINES: News and events from Knox, World, USA, Tennessee & Historic Notes (Knox TN Today)
- Unmasking bright futures for pets at Mask-Fur-Ade 2026 (Knox TN Today)
- Belmont Blooms (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- Knoxville celebrates US World Cup win at raucous downtown watch party (WATE)
- 'Better than before' Sevierville attraction continues recovery months after large fire (WATE)
- Hundreds gather in Knoxville for MLK Parade and Juneteenth celebration (WATE)
- Oak Ridge paramedic's heart attack survival underscores importance of men's health awareness (WATE)
- Driver charged with kidnapping after Knox County police pursuit ends in crash (WATE)
- Alcoa resurfacing, road work to impact East Tennessee drivers this weekend (WATE)
News Sentinel
State News
- Collegedale police say teen confessed involvement in homicide. Landfill search called off - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Chicken plant neighbors lament job losses, but they won’t mourn the smell - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- New Chattanooga senior center space estimated to open in fall with $231K lease - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Memorandum of Understanding - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- Stranded ships begin to cross Hormuz after initial U.S.-Iran deal - The Washington Post (US News)
- Company owned by Trump donor won $1.7 million no-bid Reflecting Pool cleaning contract - CBS News (US News)
- Flu sickens scores of troops at Air Force base after Pentagon ends vaccine requirement - NBC News (US News)
- Air Force One, gifted to Trump from Qatar, arrives at Joint Base Andrews - NPR (US News)
- As Juneteenth is celebrated across the US, Obama’s presidential center opens in Chicago - AP News (US News)
- Iran Delays Nuclear Talks With US as Lebanon Clashes Worsen - Bloomberg.com (US News)
- Missouri judge finds state laws restricting abortion violate voter-approved constitutional amendment - AP News (US News)
- Federal judge gives DOJ green light to turn Biden’s audio files over to the Heritage Foundation - Politico (US News)
- Exclusive: Trump tells "The Axios Show" that Anthropic was a national security threat - Axios (Business)
- The Trump administration says it is cutting student loan interest. Not everyone qualifies. - CBS News (Business)
- Mortgage rates fall to lowest level in over a month as Iran deal framework takes shape - Fox Business (Business)
- SpaceX stock price drops after Cursor purchase. How low could it go? - Mashable (Business)
- The Secret Life of the Strait of Hormuz - Bloomberg.com (Business)
- What's open and closed on Juneteenth 2026? Find out if banks, USPS and stores are operating. - CBS News (Business)
- Oil Prices Rise as U.S.-Iran Deal Faces Tests - The New York Times (Business)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
Search and Archives
TN Progressive
Nearby:
- Blount Dems
- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South

One possible flaw in the
One possible flaw in the report, it did not take in to consideration the age of the driver.
Another possible flaw, did it take into account the age of the pedestrian? There are a lot of seniors out there on the sidewalks (some who can't drive and others who just prefer to walk) who are sometimes off the sidewalks where there aren't any.
As I recall, just yesterday we were driving east on the notoriously narrow Kingston Pike near Sequoya Hills, and had to slow down and maneuver halfway over into the left lane to avoid an older couple walking along the right side of Kingston Pike where there were no sidewalks (prompting middle fingers from people behind us and in the left lane).
Another possible flaw, did
Another possible flaw, did it take into account the age of the pedestrian?
Actually they did discuss that in the conference call. One of the hosts said being older was not really a factor in pedestrian fatalities.
Florida has lots of
Florida has lots of multi-lane surface roads that look like deathtraps for anyone trying to cross them.
Liberty and justice for all.
My home
computing the rate of
I'm curious how they estimate the latter.
On its face, Knoxville doesn't strike me as a particularly safe/friendly place to walk (not that I've done any research on it). Some areas are OK, but others aren't. Sidewalk construction/maintenance often seems like an afterthought.
Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.
One thing, I think, that
One thing, I think, that skews Knoxville's numbers is that UT is probably included, thus a lot more walking going on around campus.
OK
I'd say Knoxville is an OK place to walk, could be better, could be worse. Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods and greenways are good, Broadway is not and Cumberland is not. Also, city of Maryville has an emerging downtown but you can tell people drive through it like they are not used to walkers. Its unforntunate walking is still sort of an anomaly though, people think its strange or think its dangerous in places where it isn't.
Maryville has an emerging
Maryville has an emerging downtown but you can tell people drive through it like they are not used to walkers
That is interesting. However, it is also interesting that most drivers through downtown Maryville see the crosswalks (without stop lights) and actually stop to let people cross.