Our city's built environment -- the roads, sidewalks, and bike lanes -- are a shared resource we all use every day. They are also a resource we have a right to feel safe using every day, whether as a pedestrian or as a driver.
We are in the midst of a public health crisis, with deaths on roadways spiking in our city and nationally. In 2023, Lexington saw 52 fatal crashes on our roads, with 20 of them involving pedestrians. In 2022, our country saw 42,514 fatal crashes on our roads, with 8,952 of them involving pedestrians. 2024 numbers in Lexington are significantly improved, with 16 fatal crashes this year and only four of them involving pedestrians as of Sept. 11.
A year ago, my friend Mia Ibrahim was one of the 20 pedestrians killed in Lexington. Mia was in a crosswalk and had the right of way. But, a driver made the choice to run a red light at the intersection of Nicholasville Road and Rosemont Garden and killed Mia. Per state law, there are no criminal consequences for the driver. And, due to state law, our city cannot utilize red light cameras (and other automated enforcement) to deter this behavior. As a frequent pedestrian in our city, it is frightening that I could do everything correctly -- just like Mia did -- and still be killed due to negligence from drivers on the road who face no consequences for their actions.
Last month, Frontrunners Lexington, an LGBTQ+ walk/run group Mia was a part of, coordinated a city-wide campaign to count the number of red light runners during the morning rush hour. Together with our community and a large team of volunteers, we surveyed 24 intersections around the city. For our counting, we instructed volunteers to follow what's directed in KRS 189.338.
The results were staggering: three intersections surveyed saw more than 100 red light runners per hour and five intersections surveyed saw 50 to 99 red light runners per hour during our count period. The intersections with the most red light runners counted included Alumni Drive & Man O' War, Nicholasville Road & Cooper Drive, and Nicholasville Road & Reynolds Road, among others.
We understand there are limitations to these numbers, as we are relying on volunteers. However, they tell an important story: red light runners are an issue that is rampant in our community. Every red light run by a driver introduces an unnecessary, yet lethal, risk to everyone in our city. At some point during the day, nearly everyone is a driver and/or a pedestrian, and we all are at risk of being harmed by the actions of drivers not following the rules of the road.
What can we do with this information? Our primary goals were to raise awareness about this issue and work to change the behavior of drivers. Through various media outlets, we feel we have put a strong spotlight on how prevalent this issue is in our city. To change the behavior of drivers, we need to work with both local and state leaders.
Locally, we have seen strong support for our efforts from city councilmembers. In the new year, we plan to advocate for several measures within Lexington's government, including dedicated funding for targeted enforcement of red light runners, better signage at intersections, better timing of the stop light network to improve the flow of traffic, and education for drivers and pedestrians on their responsibilities on the road.
At the state level, our main goal is changes to Kentucky state law to allow for automated enforcement (like red light cameras and speed cameras). More than 20 other states utilize red light cameras, speed safety cameras, or both, and have found significant reductions in the number of drivers running red lights after implementation. Since at least 2019, legislators on both sides of the aisle have introduced legislation to allow some form of automated enforcement in Kentucky, but no bill has made it out of committee.
We know these are all big lifts. We are in a car-centric society and changing the behavior of drivers can be challenging. Creating enough momentum to change laws in Frankfort is a high bar to reach. However, we know this is the right thing to do. We all have a right to feel safe using our roads, sidewalks, and bike lanes, whether as a driver or as a pedestrian. We encourage drivers to slow down, watch for pedestrians, and pay attention to traffic signals. We encourage pedestrians to use crosswalks, wait for the right of way signal, and be aware of vehicles on the road. Keeping each other safe while moving around our city is something we can all play a part in every day.
To learn more about our pedestrian safety efforts, visit frontrunnerslex.com/action.