concurrence by the RPC. The PMC will convene four times during the course of the study. The consultant will address PMC comments in preparation of

Transcription

1 SCOPE OF SERVICES Safe Streets for Everyone A Transportation Safety Campaign for Orleans Parish, Louisiana State Project No. H RPC Project No. SafeStNO Background: Orleans Parish is consistently ranked among the Louisiana parishes with the highest number of pedestrian and bicycle crashes and fatalities. Due to a pedestrian fatality rate (per 100,000 residents of 2.6) that exceeds the national average (1.4), Orleans Parish was designated by the Federal Highway Administration as a Pedestrian Safety Focus City and Louisiana as a Pedestrian Safety Focus State in As part of this designation, communities were encouraged to identify safety problems and implement solutions as part of a comprehensive Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP). The City of New Orleans and Regional Planning Commission (RPC) completed the PSAP in July, The TOP 20 Intersections for fatal and severe pedestrian crashes identified in the PSAS are currently under review by RPC/DOTD for detailed analysis and engineering of appropriate countermeasures. In addition, several reports prepared by RPC and the University of New Orleans have documented the high number of bicycle crashes and fatalities in Orleans Parish. Both of these study efforts recommended concerted public education and awareness campaigns for implementation in combination with other strategies including engineering and enforcement countermeasures. Purpose and Need: Within the South Shore Safety Coalition area, Orleans Parish experiences the vast majority of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and serious injury crashes. The purpose of this safety initiative is to engage a wider group of stakeholders, including low income and racially diverse communities, in the community participation process in order to educate the public and especially at risk populations (Latino and African American) about safe travel practices and laws governing motoring, cycling, and pedestrian safety. The Mayor s Transportation Safety Summit will bring together a broad cross-section of New Orleans racially diverse business and neighborhood organizations and representatives from law enforcement, municipal courts, automobile and trucking industries, insurance representatives, advocacy groups, and other stakeholder organizations to review the data and formulate strategies and implementable countermeasures. The goal is to raise safety awareness among all modes of transportation and to reduce the number of pedestrian and bicycle crash fatalities and serious injuries. Crash data will be analyzed and a detailed field review will be made within the study area to identify existing or missing infrastructure improvements, i.e., signage, striping, pedestrian signals and other TSM measures which can be programmed in the TIP for implementation to address safety hot spots and infrastructure needs. Task 1 Project Management Committee: The RPC and the Mayor s Office will establish a Project Management Committee (PMC) to oversee the technical work effort, review data findings, study recommendations, and draft and final reports. Membership will include the Mayor s Office, Downtown Development District, Regional Transit Authority, Transportation Safety Coalition, Regional Planning Commission, and other selected stakeholders. Preparation of all support materials including mail-outs, agendas, handouts, presentation graphics, and summary reports will be the responsibility of the consultant, following review and 1

2 concurrence by the RPC. The PMC will convene four times during the course of the study. The consultant will address PMC comments in preparation of draft and final report documents. Task 2 Refine Study Corridor: Based on the results of the City of New Orleans Pedestrian Safety Action Plan Part 1: Engineering Strategies (July, 2014), the study corridor generally consists of the Central Business District, the French Quarter, Claiborne and Biomedical Corridors as well as the adjacent neighborhoods of Treme, Marigny, and Bywater. The RPC will organize and assemble by location the latest three years of available pedestrian and bicycle crash data in and around the study area. This information will be presented in GIS map format by RPC to the PMC for review, comment, and finalization of the study area boundaries. Task 3 Prepare Socio-Economic Profile: Using available census data, and American Community Survey updates, the consultant will prepare a socio-economic profile of the study area. This information will be used to help identify high-risk population groups by age, gender and/or race which are disproportionally involved (based on crash data see Task 4 Evaluation) in pedestrian or bicycle crashes. This data will be used to inform and structure the community education and outreach efforts. Task 4 Evaluate Crash History: The State Highway Safety Plan provides a significant amount of data regarding pedestrian and bicycle crashes including manner of collision, age, gender, race, and other descriptive characteristics. The consultant will be responsible for detailed evaluation of the pedestrian and bicycle crash data for the latest three year period, as provided by RPC (Task 2). Data from the Pedestrian Bicycle Resource Initiative which is prepared annually by the University of New Orleans also will be utilized by the consultant to prepare a crash history summary for the study area, describing types of incidents, locations (including proximity to schools and transit stops), severity of crashes, and potential countermeasures. RPC will provide locations of schools and transit stops in GIS format for the study area. The summary data and evaluation results will be provided to the PMC and the New Orleans Region Transportation Safety Coalition (NORTSC) in text and graphic format (by the technical consultant) for review and consideration in identifying potential counter-measures. Task 5 Conduct Conditions Inventory and Needs Assessment: Based on consultation with the City, RPC, DOTD, and the NORTSC, the consultant team will prepare an inventory of existing and planned safety improvements within the study area. This work effort will include a field inventory and evaluation of the condition of existing or missing safety features, i.e., striping, signage, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals as well as other scheduled or planned safety improvements (i.e., new traffic and/or pedestrian signals, etc.). The field assessment will also identify safety deficiencies or needs for further study and consideration by City DPW or LADOTD, as appropriate. The consultant team will prepare a report identifying the results of this safety assessment, including supporting graphics, quantities, and estimated cost of improvements. This information will be presented to the project s working committees (see Task 7) for their consideration and input. Task 6 Convene Transportation (All Modes) Safety Summit: The Mayor of New Orleans will convene a Transportation Safety Summit inviting all modes of transportation including business, government, judiciary and law enforcement, civic, community non- 2

3 profits, neighborhood and faith-based organizations, among others. Discussion will focus on two primary topics: (1) community outreach and safety education, and (2) operational and enforcement issues. The consultant will be responsible for providing an Overview and Presentation of the bike/ped data and safety findings (drawn from Tasks 4 and 5 above), preparing the Summit agenda, and facilitating the discussion on safety concerns and strategy development. The consultant will prepare advance news releases for the Mayor s Office and prepare and distribute Transportation Summit invitation by working in close coordination with the RPC and Mayor s Office. The consultant will make use of several existing data sources for this purpose including the city s neighborhood association lists and RPC s major employers file. The extensive outreach effort will engage a broad cross section of the community (see above paragraph) and foster constructive problem solving dialogue among representatives from all transportation modes, e.g. American Trucking Association; American Automobile Association; representatives from transit, bicycle and pedestrian associations; and local community, faith-based, and business leadership; and government including the City Department of Public Works, New Orleans Police Department, City s Municipal Court system, LA State Police, LA DOTD, RPC, and other interested stakeholders. The Mayor s Transportation Safety Summit will be designed to attract regional news coverage, provide data on the nature and extent of the safety problems, demonstrate Mayoral support for a communitywide, racially diverse, and united effort on discussing important safety concerns and educating the public and all transportation users about safety laws governing pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle use. In addition, the Summit will inform the technical planning process and assist in the assignment of responsibility among the participants for follow-up work activities and resource commitments. It is important that next steps are personalized for different types of groups such as additional training for police officers and bike lights for bicycle commuters. Task 7 Organize Follow-Up Working Groups: The (all modes) Transportation Safety Summit is also intended to be a Listening Session providing interested and relevant organizations the opportunity to express their concerns about pedestrian and bicycle safety and to offer their ideas on what the issues are and how best to resolve them. One of the expected by-products of the Safety Summit will be the formation of two working groups to follow-up on Summit recommendations. The working groups will focus on the following emphasis areas: public outreach; safety education and training; infrastructure needs and operations; and enforcement considerations. The consultant team will work with the PMC in assigning Summit participants and other stakeholders into one of two Work Groups e.g., (1) Community Outreach and Safety Education, and (2) Traffic Operations and Enforcement. The consultant team will provide technical guidance and support to the working groups throughout the course of the study including facilitating discussions on strategies, preparing informational materials and handouts, preparing agendas and organizing meetings, and recordation of summary meeting minutes. Representatives from each mode of transportation will be assigned to each work group along with community and business representatives to foster discussion and promote consensus building on safety countermeasures. The consultant team will design a survey questionnaire for posting on RPC s web-site to inform the 3

4 general public about the Transportation Safety Summit and to solicit public input regarding safety issues and ideas for the four emphasis areas: (1) public outreach; (2) safety education and training; (3) infrastructure needs and operations; and (4) enforcement. The Survey Questionnaire will be in electronic format and hard copy and be accessible in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The consultant will code and summarize the survey and provide summary information to the Work Groups for their review and consideration in crafting follow-up safety objectives, strategies, and corrective action measures. The consultant will prepare a report summarizing data and ideas received from the safety survey and post responses to questions on the RPC web-site, as appropriate. A. Community Outreach and Education It is anticipated that this work group will meet three times during the course of this 12 month study. Participants will consist primarily of local business, civic, faith-based and community organizations that will be asked to assist in the outreach effort to educate employees and the public about safe travel practices and the laws governing motoring, cycling, and pedestrian safety. Major businesses in the CBD and French Quarter, and especially businesses engaged in the hospitality industry whose workers are largely bike/ped or transit dependent, will be asked to assign a coordinator to become knowledgeable about best practices and help organize one or two informational meetings to brief their company s workforce on the laws and ways to promote bike/ped and motorist safety. A total of ten employers will be recruited for this safety education and outreach effort involving an estimated ten safety education and training workshops. Civic, faith-based and community organizations within the study area will be requested by the Mayor s Office to participate in the community-wide education and safety effort. These organizations will be asked to host one or two workshops (in order to reach out to their full memberships) wherein the technical team will inform and educate their members about state and local laws and ways to reduce modal conflicts and enhance safety. The technical team will prepare necessary support materials including handouts, videos, and/or power point presentations. An estimated ten community or neighborhood workshops will be conducted for this purpose. Representatives from law enforcement and the insurance industry will be requested to participate in these community meetings to help educate and inform all transportation modes about state and local laws and the proper and safe use of bicycles and motor vehicles. The technical consultant will work closely with RPC and the Mayor s Office in the research and development of informational materials on Louisiana statutes governing motor vehicle operations (including trucks) as well as pedestrian and bicycle laws. The consultant will prepare informational materials, power point presentation(s), graphics or video(s) to educate, instruct and convey this information to the public in a clear, concise and easily understandable manner. The consultant will be responsible for securing meeting locations within the study area and for the conduct of all outreach workshops both employer and community based. B. Traffic Operations and Enforcement This work group will focus on the identification of hot spots and effective countermeasures to 4

5 improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and minimize conflicts with trucks, buses, and motorists. Membership will include, but not be limited to, transit and traffic operations, law enforcement and safety personnel from the city and state, trucking and automobile associations, and bicycle and pedestrian safety organizations. The consultant will present the findings from the Crash Data Analysis (Task 4) and the findings from the Conditions Inventory and Needs Assessment (Task 5) to the Work Group for review and refinement. Emphasis will be placed on identifying intersections for low-cost transportation system management (TSM) improvements eligible for follow-up implementation action through various funding programs such as the Local Roads Safety Program and the STP>200K Program. A conceptual plan identifying needs by location, types of effective TSM measures, estimated quantities, and order of magnitude costs will be assembled and presented by the consultant team to the Work Group and the NORTSC for their review prior to inclusion in the final report. It is anticipated that in some cases more detailed study evaluation and engineering will be required to meet Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) warrant requirements and policies of the City DPW or LA DOTD. The traffic operations and enforcement work group will meet three times during the course of the study. Task 8 Community/Non-Profit Participation: Various non-profits organizations are active participants in the New Orleans Regional Traffic Safety Coalition. The lead consultant will utilize their expertise to assist in the development, preparation, and conduct of personal safety workshops at schools, neighborhoods, and special events to educate and instruct the public on various defensive walking, biking, and driving strategies. The participating nonprofit organization(s) will serve on both the Community Outreach and Education and Traffic Operations and Enforcement Work Groups. Examples of defensive travel strategies include enhancing awareness in low light conditions; how to safely position and maneuver bicycles through intersections; making eye contact with motorists at crossings; understanding the safety risks of impaired walking; riding; and driving; stopping for pedestrians at intersections; and detecting user behaviors that are more likely to result in injury such as turning movements and distracted and impaired driving/walking/bicycling. The lead consultant will develop a plan specifying the work responsibilities of the non-profit organization(s) in the overall study effort. This plan will be submitted to RPC and the DOTD for review and concurrence prior to execution. Task 9 Workshop Materials and Safety Equipment: In order to facilitate training and promote defensive travel strategies, $15,000 of the project total has been budgeted for the acquisition of safety equipment including bike lights, helmets, safety vests, mirrors, patch kits, and tire levers. The consultant team will develop a plan for distribution of the equipment on a registration basis to children and low income riders to demonstrate the need for proper equipment as a means to improve overall bicycle safety. The equipment distribution plan will be submitted to RPC and LADOTD for review and concurrence prior to execution. In is anticipated that neighborhood and faith-based community organizations will participate in the planning and development of the plan. 5

6 Task 10 Marketing and Media Support: Based on input received from the Community Outreach and Education and the Traffic Operations and Enforcement Work Groups, the technical consultant will discuss with the PMC the justification and types of media support packages which may be desirable and useful for reaching targeted audiences, particularly in low income and minority neighborhoods. The project objective is to engage the public through various mediums such as television, radio, billboard and social media. Potential support activities include standard educational materials, i.e., handouts, brochures, tags, etc. as well as preparation of short videos on safe walking and bicycling, bill boards, and public service announcements on radio, television, and/or movie theatres. The specifics will be based on input from the Work Groups and discussions with the PMC to identify priority marketing and media needs. Before any funding commitments are made, RPC will request DOTD review and concurrence in the media buys. Approximately $200,000 of the project budget is intended for this purpose. Task 11 Post Project Evaluation: Working in coordination with the New Orleans Transportation Safety Coalition coordinators, the technical consultant will prepare an overall project summary evaluation. Documentation will provided relating project accomplishments to the objectives and strategies set forth in the NORTSC s Pedestrian and Bicycle Emphasis Area ACTION PLAN, for the following activities: - Identification of new and existing stakeholder organizations for membership on region s Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee - Incorporation of new project initiatives into City s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and TIP to reduce pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries - New partnership formations with law enforcement and justice system - Document number of citizens reached through the Mayoral Summit and Work Groups and Bike/Ped Safety and Community Education training efforts - Document data and presentation materials used during course of the project; provide one complete set in hard copy and/or electronic format for future use by NORTSC - Describe how the project has enhanced MPO s in-house capacity to organize pedestrian and bicycle data and methods of analysis - Describe methodology used for targeted deployment of media to increase safety awareness among demographic groups and at high crash locations, including targeted enforcement efforts - Describe use of media to outreach to journalists and news anchors about pedestrian, bicycle, and motorists safety projects - Document efforts to raise awareness of bicycle laws and safety practices through effective distribution of bicycle maps and educational materials - Document efforts to increase safety around schools and transit stops, including RTA driver education and training - Document safety hot spots and potential countermeasures through review and analysis of RPC/DOTD crash data, including opportunities for low cost TSM infrastructure and operational improvements - Submit results of Task 9 to NORTSC and LADOTD and the City of New Orleans for their review, assessment, and future use 6

7 Task 12 Next Steps: Based on the results of this pilot study and post-project evaluation, discussions will be held with NORTSC, LADOTD and the City of New Orleans to review the Post-Project Evaluation Results and to identify opportunities for new or expanded Phase II workshops for other geographical areas and socioeconomic communities across the City of New Orleans. The program will continue to emphasis the importance of community outreach and education; data-driven approach for identification and implementation of low cost safety operational improvements; and new and stronger partnerships with law enforcement agencies and the judicial system to increase citizens awareness and responsibility for pedestrian, bicycling, and safe operations of motor vehicles. TIMELINE: 18 months PROJECT BUDGET: $565,100 (includes $215,000 for media buys and safety equipment purchase) 7