When Oslo and Helsinki achieved the same thing, it didn’t start with people asking for visible crossings or bicycle lanes. It started with people voting in a government that promised to get rid of pedestrian deaths. The actual plans and design followed.
People might dismiss and argue for or against specific solutions, but I think we can all agree that pedestrian deaths are bad, so it shouldn’t be difficult to get started, regardless of who is running the government.
So, the answer is basically “Because the city government decided they didn’t want pedestrians to die, and acted accordingly.”
Yes it’s really that simple.
When Oslo and Helsinki achieved the same thing, it didn’t start with people asking for visible crossings or bicycle lanes. It started with people voting in a government that promised to get rid of pedestrian deaths. The actual plans and design followed.
People might dismiss and argue for or against specific solutions, but I think we can all agree that pedestrian deaths are bad, so it shouldn’t be difficult to get started, regardless of who is running the government.