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New Study Ranks Pittsburgh No. 2 Safest City For Pedestrians

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Taking a stroll or even walking to work is generally safe here in Pittsburgh.

While you may think jaywalking is more the rule than the exception here, Pittsburgh has actually walked its way to becoming the second safest pedestrian metro area.

The study, done by Smart Growth America, ranked pedestrian safety in the 51 largest metro areas based on a danger index and fatalities.

Boston was the only city safer than Pittsburgh.

"Because Pittsburgh is an older, more traditional street grid, our streets are not as wide as in some newer cities. That really lends itself to people driving more slowly, but also the opportunity to cross the street more quickly," Leigh White of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership said.

Some pedestrians tend to agree with the findings.

"I lived in L.A. for a while and it is not safe for walkers there, that's for sure," Devon Snyder said.

However, it sure doesn't take long to catch a jaywalker Downtown.

"I think people don't care and they don't think they're going to get hit so they just walk," Ava Nickens said.

That's why the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the city agree that more still needs to be done to improve safety.

It was just a few years ago that many crosswalks were updated with audio and the city says they're now working on developing a traffic signal system that will make traffic safer for all commuters.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership said they have plenty of ideas on how to make walking even safer Downtown and they are hoping that officials take them up on some of their ideas.

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