Transportation Safety Planning at DVRPC New York Safety Planning Peer Exchange June 15, 2010 Zoe Neaderland, AICP Manager, Office of Transportation Safety & Congestion Management
DVRPC Overview Federally-Designated MPO for the ninecounty, two-state Philadelphia region Created in 1965 353 local home-rule municipalities
Characteristics of DVRPC s s Region Population = 5.5 million people Employment = 2.8 million jobs Land area = over 3,800 sq. miles Daily traffic = 112 million VMT Transit = 1 million trips per day
DVRPC Crash Characteristics Average crashes per year ( 05-07) = 90,000 Average traffic injuries per year ( 05-07) = 50,000 Average traffic fatalities per year ( 05-07) = 474 Total Crash Fatalities, 03 08 519 465 457 477 489 379 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
DVRPC Safety Program Transportation Safety Program funded through annual UPWP Office of Transportation Safety & Congestion Management has four staff members, two working primarily on safety Senior management and technical staff involved as needed Most other transportation planning projects have safety components Closely coordinated with State and other programs
Today s topics: Crash Data & Analysis Safety Action Plan & Regional Safety Task Force Implementation Next Steps
Crash Data & Analysis: Resources PennDOT & NJDOT crash databases DVRPC database analysis tools Cluster finder Crash characteristics summary Safety Action Plan emphasis area evaluation GIS crash data layers NJDOT s Plan4Safety crash analysis tool PennDOT s CDART crash analysis tool Upcoming DVRPC publication: Using Crash Data to Improve Safety in the Delaware Valley
Crash Data & Analysis: Application Gloucester County Clusters: 5miles, 50 crash minimum, 2006-2008 Sorted by Total Crashes F=3, I=2, PDO=1 SRI Route MP_START MP_END NumCrashesProperty Injury Fatal Other WeightedScore 00000042 42 1.69 6.69 841 608 231 2 0 1076 00000045 45 21.58 26.58 654 453 200 1 0 856 00000042 42 11.10 16.10 497 372 124 1 0 623 00000047 47 62.06 67.06 458 270 185 3 0 649 00000322 322 13.66 18.66 456 295 161 0 0 617 08000654 654 3.06 8.06 411 280 130 1 0 543 00000295 295 20.70 25.70 410 290 117 3 0 533 00000055 55 55.20 60.20 405 308 95 2 0 504 08000630 630.00 5.00 388 276 111 1 0 501 00000553 553 40.23 45.23 361 229 131 1 0 494 00000322 322 21.83 26.83 353 208 143 2 0 500 00000047 47 70.11 75.11 340 211 125 4 0 473 00000041 41.00 5.00 252 161 91 0 0 343 00000555 555 29.48 34.48 238 145 91 2 0 333 00000700 700 11.00 16.00 231 188 42 1 0 275 Results Summary: Total Road Type Clusters State and higher routes 19 NJTPK (0000700) 3 500 County Routes 12 600 County Routes 24 700 County Routes 1 59
Crash Data & Analysis: Use Safety-Focused Projects Road Safety Audits (RSAs) Congestion & Crash Site Analysis Program (CCSAP) Safety Action Plan High Risk Rural Roads Railroad At-Grade Crossing Study Projects That Use Crash Analysis Projects That Use Crash Analysis Corridor Studies Safe Routes to School Taming Traffic Access Management Congestion Management Process (CMP)
Crash Data & Analysis: Bike/Ped Data Focused on Bicycling & Pedestrian Safety Pedestrian Safety Analysis in Traffic Crash Analysis in the Delaware Valley Mercer County Bikability Map and crowd sourcing - www.dvrpc.org/bikemercer Recently purchased bicyclist and pedestrian counting equipment that will improve understanding Ways Bicyclist & Pedestrian Safety Addressed Ways Bicyclist & Pedestrian Safety Addressed Corridor Studies Safe Routes to School Taming Traffic Studies Bicycle-Bus Conflict Area Study
Crash Data & Analysis: Matters to Consider High crash locations - define by length or let data define clusters Types of crashes to measure total crashes, fatalities, or a formula that weights by seriousness Relationship to goals for example, evaluating by key emphasis areas Numbers v. rates Rates Differ by Functional Class Data will keep coming; prepare to update Design analysis so it can be used to improve safety and consider how to communicate it
Crash Data & Analysis: Action
Crash Data & Analysis: RSAs Since 2006, DVPRC staff has conducted 20 RSAs RSAs have been conducted in urban, suburban, and rural settings Three pedestrian RSAs Currently doing Interstate Road Safety and Operations Audit Invitees include representatives for state, county, municipalities, transit, & bicycling community; including local roadway maintenance staff often results in quick fixes
Safety Action Plan: Overview Goal Reduce vehicle-related fatalities and crashes in the Delaware Valley by focusing on key emphasis areas Process Transparent, data-driven, guided by Regional Safety Task Force Coordinated with PennDOT and NJDOT SHSPs Products Traffic Crash Analysis of the Delaware Valley 2009 Safety Action Plan Emphasis Area summary cards
Safety Action Plan: Emphasis Areas 1. Curb Aggressive Driving 2. Reduce Impaired Driving 3. Keep Vehicles on the Roadway 4. Sustain Safe Senior Mobility 5. Increase Seat Belt Usage 6. Improve Design & Operation of Intersections 7. Ensure Pedestrian Safety
Safety Action Plan: Example of Analysis Importance of Curbing Aggressive Driving by County
Safety Action Plan: Regional Safety Task Force Has met quarterly since 2005 Multimodal & multidisciplinary participants Focuses on one key emphasis area per meeting Each meeting ends with refining strategies from the Safety Action Plan implementation table to a smaller number of trackable actions suitable for many partners to address
Implementation: HSIP Funds-NJ Approximately $2 million per year for DVRPC s four-county area Local Federal Aid Safety Program which includes the HRRR Program Specific eligible projects Plus projects from statewide programs
Implementation: STP-STU STU Roadway Safety Program- NJ All parties agreed to use Surface Transportation Program-Urban Allocation funds in a flexible way to improve safety. $500,000 per county, available every other year for each county Counties select projects
Implementation: HSIP Funds-PA Approximately $10 million per year for DVRPC s five-county area PennDOT develops a top 5% list; 12 of the state s 18 locations are in DVRPC s area DVRPC conducted RSAs on unaddressed locations The state s analysis includes HRRRs Specific ideas to address these locations may come from counties, MPO, or DOT
Implementation: Integrated Process DVRPC has an integrated planning process to advance the goals of the long-range plan, including to improve transportation safety
Implementation: Planning Process
Next Steps: Safety Program Refine the regional crash management system that identifies locations for study or action and continue work with counties to use it Use emphasis area threshold comparison to measure project locations against regional averages as a source of strategies Continue legislative safety symposium efforts Educate state and local judiciary regarding the safety implications of waiving or plea bargaining moving violations
Next Steps: Reflections Agree on shared goals with a wide range of partners & address them together Explain why safety matters with numbers & stories Road safety can be easier to understand than some other transportation matters; an entryway Some key elements: communication, coordination, analysis, planning, implementation, evaluation, & ongoing determination to save lives
Thank you! Questions? Zoe Neaderland, AICP Manager, Office of Transportation Safety & Congestion Management DVRPC (215) 238-2839 ZNeaderland@dvrpc.org