Pedestrian task force underway in Columbia

A new pedestrian task force in Columbia is now underway.

They mayor just unveiled its numbers this week.

It was formed last month following the deaths of four pedestrians since October.

On Thursday, we sat down with the chairperson, fourth ward councilman Ian Thomas, during our 9:00 a.m. newscast.

He broke down the panel’s goals that include reviewing the city’s data, educating people about issues like distracted walking and enforcing the laws.

“A lot more people are walking, people are driving less and walking more, which is a good thing from the point of view of health and reducing our carbon footprint, and people enjoy walking and having places where they can walk. People are also walking in places where its really unsafe. If you look at the collisions that happened in Columbia, they’re almost all on the high-speed roads like Rangeline, Stadium, and Providence Road,” said Thomas.

The first meeting will be in a couple of weeks to form an overall plan.

The task force will deliver its final recommendations to the city council by next May.