I wanted to write about something else. About cities that work, policies that arrive before the damage, days when crossing the street require neither calculation nor haste. But the theme returns. Not at personal insistence. It returns because the city and its managers do not change.
The report Travessia #Cilada – Resultados 2025, by Instituto Corrida Amiga, transforms this experience into data. Measures times, road widths, walking speeds. It shows that the standard adopted for pedestrians is still based on a standard body: fast, without pauses. For children, the elderly and people with disabilities, most crossings do not provide enough time. When there is an adjustment, it usually occurs in flashing red — a phase in which many interrupt or speed up the crossing. The system continues to demand haste from those who cannot run.
In the same period, official figures indicate the effect of this design. A recent report from Bom Dia Brasil showed that São Paulo had, in 2025, one of the years with the most traffic deaths, with an average of three per day. These are not isolated cases. This is a consequence. Almost half of fatal collisions occur when a person crosses the lane with a green light. The problem is not with the pedestrian. It’s in the time available.
The report also points out ways forward. Reduce the total traffic light cycle to reduce waiting. Review the reference speed adopted for pedestrians, currently above that practiced by the majority of the population. Guarantee exclusive crossing time, with a specific focus for pedestrians. Review the use of flashing red, which creates doubt and does not inform how much time is left. Adjust traffic lights according to times and flows. Shorten distances by widening sidewalks and lowering curbs. Adopt parameters set out in the Pedestrian Statute and accessibility legislation.
None of this is a secret. None of this depends on innovation. It depends on political decision. The time at the traffic light expresses a choice about who has priority. Whether the citizen on foot or the driver. Whether the body that crosses or the vehicle that accelerates.
What connects the 2021 column, the 2025 report and the mortality data is the repetition of a political choice. As long as it doesn’t change, the question will remain open: how many seconds is a life worth?
Criticisms and suggestions – @helenadegreas (Instagram)
