Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety

Consideration and Implementation of Proven Crash Countermeasures

• Medians and Pedestrian Refuge Areas in Urban and Suburban Areas
  Curbed medians provide a pedestrian refuge area both at intersections and midblock locations. While the length of the crossing is important in the pedestrian being able to cross the street during one cycle, it is the median that gives them a refuge if they can not. This is very important especially in midblock locations as that is where over 70% of pedestrian fatalities occur. Also it is where vehicle travel speed are higher which contributes to the injury and fatality rate at this location. Over 80% of pedestrians die when hit by vehicles traveling at 40 mph or faster while less than 20% die when hit at 20 mph. (see http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_cmnity/ped_walkguide/ch4_faq.cfm

  At intersections when pedestrians are crossing this curbed median (with ADA compliant ramps) will provide pedestrians with a refuge area both during the walk cycle and for those waiting for the next walk cycle. And need a refuge. Low-Cost Safety Enhancements for Stop-Controlled and Signalized Intersections has just been published. It identifies low-cost countermeasure packages that can be applied systematically at a large number of intersections to have a significant impact on intersection fatality and crash reductions. It is not yet on the Web site but will be soon. Also the FHWA Office of Safety Intersection Website presents data on facilities and how humans operate within this environment. See http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/human_factors/ for more information.

  A road safety audit (RSA) is a formal safety examination of a future roadway plan or project or an in-service facility that conducted by an independent, experienced multidisciplinary RSA team. All RSAs should include a review of pedestrian safety; however, some RSAs may be conducted to improve an identified pedestrian safety problem. The Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists developed for the Federal Highway Administration provides transportation agencies and teams conducting an RSA with a better understanding of the needs of pedestrians of all abilities.

  The Guide has two primary sections: Knowledge Base and the Field Manual. The Knowledge Base section discusses the basic concepts with which the RSA team should be familiar before conducting an RSA, such as understanding the characteristics of all pedestrians, analyzing pedestrian crash data, pedestrian considerations in the eight-step RSA process, and use of the Guide. The Field Manual section includes the guidelines and prompt lists. The guidelines provide detailed descriptions of potential pedestrian safety issues while the prompt lists are a general listing of potential pedestrian safety issues. The guidelines and prompt lists will help familiarize RSA teams with potential pedestrian issues and help them identify specific safety concerns related to pedestrian safety throughout the RSA process. Whether in an intersection or other areas on or crossing a roadway which pedestrians frequent this is an comprehensive analysis tool to solve pedestrians safety problems. See http://www.walkinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=3955 for more information.

• Walkways
  Walkways are sidewalks, shared use pathways or trails in which pedestrians travel on a facility separated from motor vehicle traffic. Safety for pedestrians and others using these facilities is generally enhanced do to the separation of walkways from the roadway. It is the conflicts with bicycles on pathways, and pedestrian crossings of roadways, both at controlled and uncontoleed intersections, which are the most significant safety issues. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Website of the FHWA Office of Safety http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ provides pedestrian and bicycle safety information which includes pedestrian safety tools used by local and state governments to make roads, trails, and road crossings safer for pedestrians.

  Also the FHWA funded Pedestrian Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) in North Carolina provides data and planning and design tools to make roads, pedestrian crossings, trails, and separated pathways safer for pedestrians. Designing, engineering, operating, and maintaining quality roadways and pedestrian facilities is a critical element in producing a pedestrian-friendly environment. This section describes a number of engineering solutions to improve the quality of the pedestrian network, organized into the following groups: See the PBIC Website at http://www.walkinginfo.org/engineering/ for more information.

Contact Dick Schaffer or Tamara Redmon for more information.