"Since there are so many people walking around, there almost has to be a higher level of caution," she said. "Especially because there are so many people walking on the streets here, cars have to be aware, and so it makes for more cautious walkers and drivers."

Langworthy isn't the only one who thinks Columbia is pedestrian friendly. A new report proves it.

Transportation For America published a report Monday called Dangerous by Design, which shows that Columbia is the safest city in Missouri and one of the safest in the nation for pedestrians. The report used a statistic called the Pedestrian Danger Index to compare hundreds of communities in America in terms of preventable pedestrian deaths. It is calculated by dividing the number of pedestrian deaths during 2007 and 2008 in each community by the average number of people walking.

"Basically, in Columbia we have very few pedestrian deaths and we have a lot of people walking," said Ian Thomas, Executive Director of PedNet Coalition, a pedestrian and pedaling network in Columbia.

Columbia's Pedestrian Danger Index scored four times lower than the national average. Columbia reported just two pedestrian fatalities from 2007 to 2008, and just 3.8% of the total traffic deaths during that time were pedestrians.

Missouri junior Mohanad Jawadi also acknowledges Columbia's pedestrian safety.

"It's definitely the safest place I've lived in the U.S., and I walk a lot," Jawadi said. "We have a lot of crosswalks actually, in kind of random places. (On) Hitt Street, they just kind of have a crosswalk in the middle of the street, there's not even a stop sign there. I definitely find it to be a lot more walker friendly for sure."

Columbia has made great strides over the years to make the City more accessible and safer to those traveling on their feet.

"In 2004, Columbia passed a complete streets ordinance, which specified how streets should be designed," Thomas said. "This included five-foot sidewalks on all streets as well as bicycle accommodations on certain streets, and that sent a very clear signal that Columbia is serious about encouraging people to walk and bike in Columbia."

Other safety measures that organizations like PedNet and GetAbout Columbia have made possible are installing pedestrian crossing lights with countdown timers and adding pedestrian refuge islands in the middle of intersections.

"You always want to look both ways before you cross the street anyway," Langworthy said. "But I always feel very safe walking in Columbia."