montgomery county today
25
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Automobiles
Crashes
3,565
3,478
3,094
2,834
2,664
2,634
2,705
Injuries
4,801
4,633
4,052
3,673
3,467
3,402
3,531
Fatalities
28
26
22
23
17
21
20
Bicycles
Crashes
79
93
83
109
86
75
73
Injuries
81
96
82
111
86
75
75
Fatalities
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
Pedestrians
Crashes
232
221
233
230
200
205
225
Injuries
228
214
218
234
214
210
229
Fatalities
3
5
9
5
8
3
12
CRASH TYPE
FIGURE 24:
Countywide Crashes, Injuries and Fatalities for Automobiles, Bicycles and Pedestrians
prevalence of hypertension than those living in
more compact places (Ewing, Schmid, et al,
2003). When this overall lack of physical
activity is paired with poor eating habits, it
literally weighs residents down with the burdens
and increased costs of poor health and disease.
What makes physical activity so important? In
addition to being a crucial part of maintaining a
healthy lifestyle, physical activity has been
associated with:
•
Lower risk of hip fractures and coronary
events in older women and decreased
cardiovascular disease in older men—
findings that held true in both Caucasian
and African-American woman, as well as
across ages, groups and categories of body
mass index.
•
Total lower risk of cancers of various types.
Not surprisingly, a sedentary lifestyle can be
damaging to one’s health. Adults with chronic
disease who were not physically active had
higher observed mortality rates than those who
were physically active. The onset of chronic
diseases is frequently hastened along by factors
such as physical inactivity and poor nutrition.
Even though Montgomery County has plenty of
communities lucky enough to have the
advantages of walkable neighborhoods, public
transportation access, and a robust trail network
that connects residents with the rest of the
region, much of Montgomery County has been
designed with the automobile in mind and many
neighborhoods and their residents are dependent
on driving. Many neighborhoods, even densely
developed ones, lack complete sidewalk
networks—which makes walking to nearby
destinations potentially hazardous and
frequently impossible.
Our county’s children and elderly are among our
most vulnerable pedestrians. Although the
death and injury rate for pedestrians ages 19 and
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Traffic calming tools, like highlighted crosswalks, can help pedestrians
walk safely from place to place.
under has dropped significantly since the mid-
1990s, Safe Kids Worldwide estimates that 61
children are hit by cars everyday in the United
States. Pedestrian injuries to teenagers are on the
rise, and distractions from mobile devices like
phones or iPods may be to blame, as their use has
skyrocketed. The elderly are particularly
vulnerable because of their limited mobility due
to muscular and skeletal weakening, arthritis pain,
changes in motor or cognitive abilities, and
decreased vision. Yet those older residents who
feel unsafe behind the wheel may find themselves
walking through neighborhoods that aren’t
accommodating to older pedestrians.
Our mental health and emotional well-being is
tied to the physical built environment as well.
Factors such as housing type and quality,
overcrowding, and the quality of light and air
directly impact the wellbeing of county residents.
The way our communities are built can affect the
quality (and quantity) of social interactions with
neighbors as well as restorative interactions with
the natural environment.
