Not only is October 'spooky season' but it is also known in some circles as 'Walktober' to highlight the dangers posed by unsafe streets for pedestrians and cyclists.
Since 2019, GOPC has published a “Spooky Streets” blog in the fall. Spooky Streets are poorly designed roadways that are dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. When we began the series six years ago, Ohio was facing an average of 133 pedestrian fatalities per year on roadways, ranking the state 26th most dangerous for people walking according to 2019 study by Smart Growth America.
Unfortunately, after that initial Spooky Streets blog, fatalities in Ohio continued to rise, peaking in 2021 when 171 occurred on the states roadways – including 28 cyclist deaths.
Data compiled from the Ohio State Highway Patrol OSTATS Crash Dashboard. 2025 data through October 13, 2025
Data compiled from the Ohio State Highway Patrol OSTATS Crash Dashboard 2025 data through October 13, 2025
Data available from the Ohio Department of Public Safety/Ohio State Highway Patrol shows that the majority of bike and pedestrian crashes occur in the afternoon to early evening hours.
Data compiled from the Ohio State Highway Patrol OSTATS Crash Dashboard
Finally, the data also shows us bike-related crashes peak during the summer months of June-September, while pedestrian-related crashes peak in the fall months, with October being the most dangerous.
Data compiled from the Ohio State Highway Patrol OSTATS Crash Dashboard
Based on this information, what are the contributing factors that are responsible for these crashes and fatalities?
Certainly, a conclusion can be drawn about the time of day impacting crash frequency between the number of crashes that are occurring in the early morning, evening, and at night crashes. According to data provided by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) from their 2024 Preliminary Data Report, in 2023, 76.9% of pedestrian fatalities, nationally, occurred after dark, regardless of whether there was artificial lighting. GHSA national data shows that half of fatalities between sunset and sunrise occurred in lighten conditions.
Lack of active transportation infrastructure is also a significant factor. The same GHSA report notes that in 2023, 65.1% of pedestrian fatalities occurred where there was no sidewalk.
US40/Broad Street in the City of Columbus is a good example of a spooky street without sidewalks or good places to cross. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 25 fatalities occurred along the 12.74 miles stretch of road between 2018 and 2022 – a fatality rate of 1.96 per mile. Significant portions of this busy stretch of roadway have no sidewalks and pedestrians and transit riders are forced to use a grass or dirt shoulder to navigate the roadway which has posted speed limits of 45 miles per hour.
West Broad Street, Columbus Ohio – November 2019. The road, with a posted speed limit of 45 MPH lacks sidewalks and on-street lighting, creating hazards for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users waiting at a nearly bus stop located along the shoulder of the roadway. Image from Google Maps. Zombies created using Chat GPT.
Another frequently cited dangerous roadway is Clark Avenue in the Clark-Fulton Neighborhood of Cleveland. Data complied by Bike Cleveland in 2024 found that the neighborhood experienced a total of 50 crashes between 2021 and 2024, which included 20 bike/scooter crashes and 30 pedestrians or wheelchair users. 11 of the 50 crashes affected children, and 3 of the crashes were fatal. The same research by Bike Cleveland found that 16% of the neighborhood residents do not own a vehicle, which likely means a higher than average percentage of residents rely on walking or biking.
Clark Ave. and W. 31st Street Cleveland, Ohio – September 2018. The roadway lacks marked crosswalks or signals which provide for safe crossing for pedestrians or cyclists. Image from Google Maps. Monster created using Chat GPT.
Vehicle-type is another significant contributing factor to the steady uptick in pedestrian-related crashes. Ohio mirrors the national trend in larger vehicles (SUV’s, pickup trucks, vans) being disproportionately involved in pedestrian fatalities.
Data from the GHSA 2024 Preliminary Data report show that, while crashes involving passenger cars have generally declined between 2018 and 2023, crashes involving light trucks, which include SUVs, jumped by nearly 1,000 over that same period. This can be particularly dangerous for small children who can be hard to see from the raised height of these types of vehicles.
Data compiled from the Governors Highway Safety Association
Luckily, there is work underway in Ohio to address the problem and make streets “less spooky.”
Since 2019, Ohio has invested more than $170 million in roadway improvements focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure. This includes investments through programs including the Pedestrian Safety Program, Safe Routes to Schools, the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and the Transportation Alternative Program (TAP). This does not include other improvements that indirectly impact bike/ped safety like investments in roundabouts and other intersection improvements.
Ohio is seeing changes: the two roadways cited above have been improved or are scheduled to be improved in the next several years.
Cleveland has added a clearly marked crosswalk on Clark Ave with pedestrian warning signs along with sharrows for bikes using the roadway.
Clark Ave. and W. 31st Street, Cleveland, Ohio – August 2024. Improvements made to the intersection include a marked crosswalk with signage for pedestrians and road markers indicating the roadway is a shared roadway with cyclists. Image from Google Maps. Trick-r-treaters created using Chat GPT.
Columbus has begun adding sidewalks and lighting improvements along the stretch of W. Broad Street, as part of the larger investment the region is making to establish a region-wide Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. The BRT network will incorporate more complete streets infrastructure in the communities that will be impacted by its construction.
West Broad Street, Columbus Ohio – August 2025. Improvements already made to the roadway includes the installation of sidewalks with grass separating curb space and street lighting for better night-time driving conditions . Image from Google Maps. Trick-r-treaters created using Chat GPT.
While there remains no shortage of “spooky streets” across Ohio, the work above signals improvements are underway. GOPC will continue to champion a transportation system that is safe and efficient for all mode users by raising awareness and advocating for investments that make safety of pedestrians and cyclists a priority.