04/01/2026
3.23.2026 Columbus Dispatch Editorial Ginger Tornes
5 pedestrians died in weeks. Columbus must fix - Columbus Dispatch, The: Web Edition Articles (OH) - March 23, 2026 - page 1
March 23, 2026 | Columbus Dispatch, The: Web Edition Articles (OH) | Ginger Tornes, Guest Columnist
Ginger Tornes is the founder of Friends and Families for Safe Streets Columbus.
The lives of five pedestrians were recently snuffed out in preventable traffic crashes in Columbus.
Will their loved ones suffer immeasurably as did our friend, whose wife was killed by a hit-and-run driver,
depriving their family of her love and guidance as they try to negotiate their shattered world.
We do know that had there been sidewalks and a street designed for safe movement of everyone, our friend
would still be here today.
At the site of one of the pedestrian deaths, Morse Road near Sharon Avenue, the posted speed limit is 35
miles per hour, yet the design speed hovers around 65-70 mph.
This has no place in an urban setting. Wide, multilane roads like Morse are responsible for over 65% of area
traffic fatalities while representing only 8% of area road and constitute the high injury network. They are
especially perilous for those walking, in a wheelchair or on a bicycle.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Robert Schneider's research involving 62,000 U.S. pedestrian
deaths across 16 years found that more than 97% of the dangerous roads had three or more lanes and 70%
of them had five or more lanes.
Pedestrians represent 3.5% of road users yet suffer 28% of road traffic deaths.
This is largely because our U.S. road system prioritizes moving traffic at high speeds over the safety of all
road users, with endless stories of lives ruined and never fully realized because of death, injuries and lifelong
disabilities. In 2024, the U.S. ranked 33 out of 35 International Traffic Safety and Analysis Group countries for
road traffic deaths.
Opinion: My dad was killed by hit-and-run driver. Headlines couldn't do him justice.
While it's important to note that some commendable road safety design improvements are being installed in
central Ohio, much more needs to be done and sooner.
Research from the World Resources Institute finds that the most effective way to prevent traffic deaths is a
systemic approach that shifts responsibility away from the drivers and pedestrians to the officials, engineers
and planners designing them.
Columbus must take action
Toks Omishakin, secretary of transportation for the California State Transportation Agency, and Billy
Hattaway, formerly with Florida Department of Transportation, describe several "self-enforcing" design
interventions they have successfully implemented in their states to reduce traffic crashes, while improving
safety, increasing the economy and freeing up police to respond to other crimes:
* Road diets designed to reduce the number of lanes and narrow travel lanes, with the additional space being
designated for parking, protected bike lanes and landscaping.
* Roundabouts or traffic circles.
* Raised crosswalks and/or bulb-outs and refuge islands to slow traffic speeds and increase visibility of those
outside the vehicle.
* Pedestrian hybrid beacons installed in locations where residents need to cross.
* Critical high-quality lighting at all crossings.
Reducing, not increasing road width/capacity in the urban environment is key to saving lives and
maintenance.
Incorporating the abovementioned safety improvements in temporary traffic safety improvements, also
called tactical urbanism, or quick builds, are gaining popularity as pilot programs and preclude the need for
expensive, time-consuming studies. They can utilize traffic cones, planters, bollards and street paint and be
installed in a matter of days or weeks compared to years or decades for permanent installations. Crucially,
they save lives now while awaiting funding for permanent solutions.
Serious traffic crashes in 2023 cost Ohioans $62.5 billion in economic and societal costs.
Yet the collective cost to the victims and their loved ones? Unlimited. We cannot afford, nor should we accept,
the notion that serious traffic crashes are the inevitable cost of driving.
Ginger Tornes is the founder of Friends and Families for Safe Streets Columbus.
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