How SafeStreets uses OSM to score pedestrian safety, and what's missing in Southeast Asia
Posted by sarath sabarish on 3 March 2026 in English.Nimman Road, Chiang Mai(Thailand) is a well-mapped, high-traffic corridor. It scores a B on network density: good intersection frequency, reasonable block lengths. But it scores near zero on crossing coverage because there are no highway=crossing nodes tagged within the 800m analysis radius. The street has physical crossings. They’re just invisible to any tool that relies on OSM, which is most tools.
That’s what SafeStreets shows: not just a score, but which data gap is causing it.
What SafeStreets is?
A free tool that scores the walkability and pedestrian safety of any street address globally(graded out of 10). No account required, 190+ countries. OSM is the backbone, and the only data source that works everywhere.
How OSM powers it, three functions?