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Map: The Worst Intersections For Pedestrians

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If you walk around Los Angeles long enough, you'll probably encounter at least one oblivious driver who nearly clips you while making a right turn. This map shows which Los Angeles intersections hold the most peril for pedestrians.The map from Los Angeles Walks tabulates crashes between people and cars from 2003 to 2009. There were 19,000 of them, and as L.A. Walks points out, crashes between pedestrians and cars are more often deadly than crashes involving only cars.

Though the map shows there are many crashes near LAX, San Pedro and in the San Fernando Valley, it doesn't show specific intersections in these areas. It does, however, zoom in on Central L.A. Here, intersections of note included 7th and Spring (51 crashes), Hollywood and Highland (49 crashes), Hollywood and Western (48 crashes), Broadway and Cesar Chavez (46 crashes), Flower and Wilshire (41 crashes), and Vermont and Santa Monica (40 crashes). There are other intersections racking up over 30 crashes in Koreatown, Hollywood and Vernon.

Los Angeles has considered installing 'scrambles,' intersections that allow pedestrians to cross diagonally while stopping car traffic on all sides, near Metro stations. In particular, they're proposed for 7th and Flower; Hollywood and Highland; and Aliso and Alameda.

Though this data is about six years old, at least, some of these intersections do mirror those found on KPCC's pedestrian safety map from 2013. (That map also allows users to submit intersections they feel unsafe crossing, along with whether they travel by bike or on foot.)

Los Angeles Walks say that 20-25% of all trips taken are on foot or bicycle, yet they account for 39% of transportation fatalities and only 1% of funding. Danger aside, Los Angeles is reportedly becoming a more walkable city, recently ranking 18 out of 30 on a list of most walkable metropolitan areas.

[h/t to Curbed LA]

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