Designing for Pedestrians: An Engineering Symposium Rutgers University March 21, 2013
The Problem 2
Pedestrian Fatalities Pedestrian Fatalities by Year in US (1994-2010) 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Year
% Pedestrian Fatalities % Pedestrian Fatalities 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% National New Jersey 5.0% 0.0% 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 Year 4
Other Pedestrian Safety Facts 73 percent pedestrian fatalities in urban areas. 77 percent at nonintersection locations. 90 percent in normal weather conditions. 67 percent at night.
What is the core safety issue? Pedestrians and drivers must use the streets together
CRASH CAUSATION FACTORS Human Factors (95%) Road Environment Factors (28%) 4% 24% 67% 4% 4% Vehicle Factors (8%) 7
Laws can be effective 8
THE THREE E s Safety is a three pronged effort Engineering Education Enforcement Requires cooperation among various agencies 9
The Solution 10
Approaches Pedestrian Safety Focus States and Cities Designing for Pedestrians Safety management 11
FHWA Safety Focus Areas Roadway Departure Intersections Pedestrians
Pedestrian Safety Focus States and Cities
New Focus States/Cities and Criteria More of a Focus Cities Approach (total of 26 Pedestrian Focus Cities, instead of 5). Any State with a Focus City will become a Focus State (total of 15 Pedestrian Focus States, instead of 13). Pedestrian Focus Cities: Based on the number of pedestrian fatalities or pedestrian fatality rate per population over a three year period. Cities eligible if they had more than 20 ped. (national average) fatalities or ped. fatality rate greater than 2.33 per 100,000 population (national average).
Focus States Efforts Working with the states/cities to assist them with developing pedestrian safety action plans. Offering free technical assistance and training on how to design for pedestrians and how to develop a pedestrian safety action plan.
Designing for Pedestrians 17
New Jersey s Complete Street Policy "To create and implement a Complete Streets policy in New Jersey through the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of new and retrofit transportation facilities within public rights of way that are federally or state funded, including projects processed or administered through the Department's Capital Program." 18
Why is it important to accommodate pedestrians? Because we re all pedestrians
Why is it important to accommodate pedestrians? Because many cannot drive
Why is it important to accommodate pedestrians? Because other modes depend on walking
Why is it important to accommodate pedestrians? Because it s good for business
Why is it important to accommodate pedestrians? Because it will make roads safer
A good street accommodates many uses; Pedestrians are at low risk in this environment
General Principles 1. Recognize pedestrians want & need to cross the street safely 2. Pedestrians will cross where it s most convenient 3. Drivers need to understand pedestrians intent 4. Speed matters 5. Good design can make use of these principles
Principle # 1 Pedestrians want & need to cross the street safely
Principle # 2 Pedestrians will cross where it s most convenient
Principle # 3 Drivers need to understand pedestrians intent
Principle # 4 Speed matters High speeds lead to greater chance of serious injury & death
Principle # 5 Good design makes use of these principles
Other plan
Safety management 32
Roadway Safety Management Process Network Screening Safety Effectiveness Evaluation Diagnosis Prioritize Projects Select Countermeasures Economic Appraisal 33
Site Analysis Approach State Highway Safety Improvement Program HSIP Planning Problem Identification Countermeasure Identification Project Prioritization Systemic Approach Data/ Design Standards Feedback HSIP Project List STIP Implementation Schedule and Implement projects Evaluation Determine Effects of Highway Safety Improvements 34
Site Analysis Approach Network Screening Process Establish reference population Apply problem identification methodology Apply screening method Evaluate and screen results HCLs
Systemic Approach to Safety Systemic Safety Improvement An improvement that is widely implemented based on high-risk roadway features that are correlated with particular severe crash types. Systemic Problem Identification System-wide crash analysis Crash characteristics at the system level Select focus crash type(s) Select focus facilities Identify common characteristics
Potential Risk Factors Roadway Features Number of lanes Lane width Shoulder surface width/type Median width/type Horizontal curvature Roadside or edge hazard rating Driveway density Presence of shoulder or centerline rumble strips Presence of lighting Presence of on-street parking Intersection Features Intersection skew angle Intersection traffic control device Number of signal heads vs. number of lanes Presence of backplates Presence of advanced warning signs Intersection located in/near horizontal curve Presence of left-turn or right-turn lanes Left-turn phasing Allowance of right-turn-on-red Pedestrian-related Features Crosswalk presence Crossing distance Signal head type Adjacent land uses Lighting
Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures
Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures Engineering Pedestrian Signal Timing/pedestrian signals Repair/Restripe Crosswalks and stop lines Improve lighting Install barrier to discourage crossing at unsafe locations Provide refuge islands Crosswalk improvements (I.e. ladder pattern, flashing lights, flashing crossing signs) Education Visibility Coordination Enforcement Motorist compliance with pedestrian safety laws Pedestrian compliance Reducing speed through intersections
FHWA Proven Countermeasures http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures
Challenge Adopt a complete streets policy Use Plan4Safety Evaluate pedestrian risk factors Identify an HSIP-eligible project Lead/participate in a pedestrian road safety audit Implement at least one of the pedestrian-related proven countermeasures 41
Questions??? Karen Y. Scurry, P.E. FHWA Office of Safety 609-637-4207 karen.scurry@dot.gov https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov 42