Fatal traffic accidents involving pedestrians are on the rise in Colorado. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available,135 pedestrians died in Colorado traffic accidents. That’s more than twice as many pedestrians as died in traffic crashes a decade earlier, according to a story from the Colorado Sun.

But the number of pedestrian deaths has actually decreased in one city. Officials in Boulder reported zero pedestrian deaths in 7 of the past 11 years.

So what did Boulder do to limit and prevent pedestrian fatalities? And what can other Colorado cities learn from Boulder?

Erin O’Toole spoke with Wes Marshall, a civil engineering professor with the University of Colorado-Denver and previous In The NoCo guest. Wes wrote a book called Killed By a Traffic Engineer, which explores how traffic designs often fail to keep pedestrians safe.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.