Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will present a motion Tuesday that aims to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians – but one advocate isn't holding her breath.

According to the city, 318,000 walking trips are made daily in Vancouver, amounting to 17 per cent of total trips.

Robertson's motion would have staff compile recommendations on how to improve safety using input from the public and deliver them in spring 2011.

Safety advocate Bev Ballantyne says she was pleased by the news, but not optimistic about seeing results.Pedestrians have been an official priority for more than a decade, but Ballantyne says there has been very little action.

"The infrastructure favours drivers over pedestrians. There's no enforcement against driver infractions and the penalties are too low," she said.

Councillor Heather Deal agrees that roadways need improvement, and says near-accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists are "a common problem throughout the city."

"We must have some very real and tangible ways we show we're paying attention to pedestrians," she said. "One of the ways to do that is to prove that we're measuring safety, to prove that we're measuring accessibility."

The city also has a stated goal of having at least 50 per cent of trips made by walking, cycling or transit by 2010. Ballantyne says if the city is serious about getting people out of their cars, there are two ways to make it happen.

"It's increasing the penalty level and actually doing enforcement," she said.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Penny Daflos