By Alayna Alvarez, Axios Denver
Denver is leveraging smart technology to improve safety for bikers and pedestrians.
Why it matters: The investment in tech could position the city as a national leader in safety innovation and move it closer to achieving the goal of ending all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.
- Ten pedestrians were killed in Denver last year, city data shows, and at least one pedestrian has died in a crash this year.
Driving the news: Denver will become the first U.S. city to launch a study using “smart” bike light technology to improve cyclist safety, the Downtown Denver Partnership announced last week.
- The study will be conducted by See.Sense, a U.K.-based cycling tech company whose bike lights have sensors that can detect behavior like severe braking and swerving, helping identify where Denver cyclists experience challenges such as rough pavement or close calls with drivers.
- The data will be gathered over a year from 300 volunteers, and findings will help officials improve “safety, connectivity and equity,” according to the downtown business advocacy group.
What they’re saying: “There’s truth to the saying, ‘what gets measured gets done,'” said Jill Locantore, head of Denver Streets Partnership, a coalition of community groups advocating for people-friendly streets.
Read the full story at Axios Denver