Profile: Training Courses on Planning and Designing for Pedestrian Safety
Through contract with the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Safety and Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, the PBIC has developed a guide, How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, to be used by transportation professionals who have the responsibility of improving pedestrian safety at the state or local level. To supplement the guide, several training courses are available to provide technical assistance to professionals in developing pedestrian safety action plans and in improving street and pedestrian facility design.
The Developing a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan course is designed to help state and local officials know where to begin to address pedestrian safety issues when developing a pedestrian safety action plan tailored to their community. It is also intended to assist agencies in further enhancing their existing pedestrian safety programs and activities, including identifying safety problems, analyzing information, and selecting optimal solutions. During this 2-daycourse, participants will:
- Learn that pedestrians belong in all design, operations, and safety considerations.
- Understand human behavior issues related to pedestrians and drivers interacting safely.
- Understand the role that land use planning, street and site design, education, and enforcement play in pedestrian safety.
- Learn how to make a commitment to safety.
- Learn how to involve stakeholders to create publicly supported and trusted policies, programs, and projects.
- Learn how to collect and analyze data in a meaningful way to identify safety deficiencies and priorities for improvement.
- Learn about commonly used and effective pedestrian crash countermeasures and how to implement effective pedestrian safety solutions.
- Learn about untapped funding sources to support pedestrian safety initiatives.
The Designing for Pedestrian Safety course is intended to help state and local transportation professionals address pedestrian safety issues through design and engineering solutions. During this 2-day course, participants will:
- Learn that pedestrians belong in all geometric design, operations, and safety considerations.
- Learn the significance of land-use, street connectivity, and site design in helping to make a safer pedestrian environment.
- Understand human behavior issues related to pedestrians and drivers interacting safely and common pedestrian crash types.
- Understand the role that planning and street design play in pedestrian safety.
- Learn effective solutions and best practices in design and operations for pedestrian safety.
- Take part in a field exercise as a critical element to the course. The class is broken into smaller groups to walk and study a nearby intersection or corridor for possible pedestrian safety improvements. The groups brainstorm and share engineering and policy solutions.
The Planning and Designing for Pedestrian Safety course is a 3-day combination of the key material in the Developing a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan course and the Designing for Pedestrian Safety course. This course is designed to help state and local officials learn how to address pedestrian safety issues through planning, design, and engineering solutions.
For more information on course costs and how to request the course in your state or local agency, please contact Charlie Zegeer at 919-962-7801 or charlie_zegeer@unc.edu.
Get more information on the training courses at http://www.walkinginfo.org/training/pdps
Access bios for course instructors at http://www.walkinginfo.org/training/pdps/bios.cfm
Read success stories of training recipients at http://www.walkinginfo.org/training/pdps/success.cfm
PBIC launches redesigned Web site for walking information
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, in its continued effort to disseminate information and technical assistance on pedestrian and bicycle safety, has launched its redesigned pedestrian Web site at http://www.walkinginfo.org.
New features of the site include:
- A centralized, Web-based Library of pedestrian and bicycling-related materials and documents compiled by practitioners and researchers.
- A searchable database of Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to walking and pedestrian safety. If users do not find their answer within the database, there is a mechanism for them to submit a question to the PBIC.
- A searchable database of upcoming pedestrian events and training opportunities
- A News Room with PBIC press releases, resources for the media and recent news articles. Users can also sign up to received email updates and news from the Center.
The new site was developed with input from site users and PBIC stakeholders. Revised and new content on the site was developed in conjunction with pedestrian safety experts from across the country. New and updated content includes more detailed discussion of plans and policies that support walking, information on overcoming barriers to walking, information on how to find pedestrian data and statistics, detailed education and enforcement messages and strategies as well as guidance to assist communities in making pedestrian improvements.
PBIC staff conducted usability testing of the existing Web site, revealing the need for a searchable resource of research and other information on pedestrian safety.
"We had a wealth of information on our old site, but it was scattered throughout individual sections," said Charlie Zegeer, director of the PBIC. "We are now able to offer a searchable database of resources and research in one centralized location."
The redesign of the site is funded through $1.6 million in renewal funding the Center received from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from FHWA.
Featured Case Study: Miami-Dade County, Florida, Walk Safe Program
Problem
Miami-Dade County needed a better pedestrian and driver education program that reached out to its diverse population. The county has the highest incidence of pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the State and is third in the U.S. Its rate of pediatric pedestrian injuries is also particularly high.
Background
Recognizing the safety problem they were experiencing and the costs associated with it, the Florida Department of Transportation partnered with the Ryder Trauma Center at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to find the causes, effects, and possible solutions to the high pediatric pedestrian injury rate. Additional funding was provided by FedEx and The Children's Trust, a tax-payer funded county trust.
Solution
The first phase consisted of a 4-month retrospective data review of hospital records, crash scene visits, patients, families and police interviews. Among other findings, it was learned that the majority of children hurt were boys, and 60 percent were African American. Many sites had problems including obstruction of view and long intervals between marked intersections, allowing for high vehicle acceleration. In 2001, there were a total of 293 injuries among pedestrians under the age of 14 in the county. The group used the results of the study to shape the educational injury prevention program.
Between 2002 and 2005, the injury prevention program was implemented in 184 elementary schools in the county. Training was given to assistant principles and physical education teachers, who then were responsible for training the rest of the teachers in the school. The program included videos, workbooks, outside simulation activities, and two tests tailored to grades K-3 and 4-5 respectively. The program was conducted over a 4 week period, with one half-hour session per week. In the future, it will be conducted over a three day period each year.
Results
An evaluation in four pilot schools found that post-course scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores, and that these gains were maintained in a follow up test 3 months later
Following the initial countywide implementation of the WalkSafe program several years ago, there has been a decrease in the number of pedestrian injuries of children seen/admitted to the two Level 1 trauma centers in Miami-Dade County and in the county overall. The total dropped from 93 in 2002-2003 to only 52 in 2005-2006.
For more information, please visit http://www.walksafe.us.
Featured Resource: Enhancing Bicycle Safety: Law Enforcement's Role CD-ROM
Developed by the US DOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the "Enhancing Bicycle Safety: Law Enforcement's Role" CD is a self-paced interactive training for all law enforcement officers. It includes seven content sections with videos, and a final evaluation. Content includes:
- Why Law Enforcement;
- Understanding Bicycle Crashes;
- Applying Traffic Laws to Cyclists;
- Specific Laws for Cyclists;
- Enforcement Techniques;
- Crash Investigation and Reporting; and
- Review and Next Steps.
Completion of the final evaluation prompts a certificate of completion and the achieved score. Based on their State defined passing score, the learner is subject to in-service training hours. Estimated contact time for completing the training: approximately 2 hours. Implications for highway safety planning: SHSO, Regional Offices can utilize this product to promote bicycle safety principles for law enforcement officers.
For more information, please visit http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.810acaee50c651189ca8e410dba046a0/
News Briefs
International Walk to School Day Registration Open
This October, communities around the US will join nearly 40 countries to celebrate walking and bicycling to school. International Walk to School Day will take place October 3, 2007.
Registration is now open at http://www.walktoschool.org. Registration is free and available to all Walk to School event organizers. By registering, Walk to School organizers have a chance to win prizes for students and gain access to a variety of downloadable items, including certificates, printable sticker templates, media materials and more. Registrants can also subscribe to a Walk to School e-newsletter with tips and resources for walk to school events. Registered events will be displayed on an interactive map on the Walk to School Web site, so that neighboring communities, media and other organizations will be able to view participating events.
The National Center for Safe Routes to School at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center serves as the national coordinating agency for International Walk to School events in the US. For more information on Safe Routes to School, please visit http://www.saferoutesinfo.org.
Audible Signals for Pedestrian Safety in Light Rail Transit Environments
The Transportation Research Board has released Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Research Results Digest 84: Audible Signals for Pedestrian Safety in LRT Environments. The report examines the application of audible signals for pedestrian safety in light rail transit (LRT) environments. The report includes descriptions of audible signal systems and associated operating procedures, their integration with other crossing measures, potential criteria for their use, and their likely effectiveness and limitations.
To access a PDF of the report, please visit http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rrd_84.pdf
Help Build the Network: Register as a local resource to offer pedestrian and bicycle assistance
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is seeking individuals and organizations to register as local resources on its Web site.
By registering as a "resource person," you can help foster local connections between the general public and the pedestrian and bicycle community. Resource people can offer pedestrian and bicycle-related expertise, information, materials, or financial support free of charge and are willing to be contacted by others in the community.
To register, please visit http://www.walkinginfo.org/assistance/registration.cfm.
In addition to registering as a local resource, people can use the "Get Local Assistance" tool (http://www.walkinginfo.org/assistance) to find support related to biking and walking. Users of the local assistance tool are able to search for contacts by profession, the type of assistance they are looking for, and location.
Ped/Bike Issues in the News
The following is a brief compilation of pedestrian- and bicycle-related news stories from across the country. Web links to the following news stories are time sensitive, so some stories might not be accessible after the initial publication date without required registration.
- Park City hoping to turn walkable, bikeable
- Deseret Morning News
9/04/2007 - Looking both ways at pedestrian safety
- The News-Gazette
9/02/2007 - Savannah Pedestrian Safety Campaign Underway
- WSAV News 3
8/31/2007 - Pedestrian safety to be enforced
- Herald Times Reporter
8/21/2007 - Web Site Takes a Pedestrian View
- The Washington Post
8/7/2007 - Pedestrians to Benefit from Street Review: Study aims to make downtown better for walkers
- Detroit Free Press
8/07/2007 - 'Complete Streets' Program Gives More Room for Pedestrians, Cyclists
- USA Today
7/30/2007 - Town of Joyce getting its first-ever sidewalk
- Peninsula Daily News
7/30/2007 - Morning Sting Reminds Albuquerque Drivers of Pedestrians' Right of Way
- The Albuquerque Tribune
7/24/2007 - OPD to Conduct Traffic Safety Campaign
- The Argus Observer
7/24/2007 - Rail safety message reiterated
- Scoop Independent News
7/24/2007 - Biking in the Basin
- Sierra Sun
7/19/2007 - Pedestrian safety operations underway in county
- Newport News Times
7/18/2007 - Leaders try to protect pedestrians
- News 14 Carolina
7/16/2007
Upcoming Ped/Bike Events
- 3rd Biennial Walk/Bike California Conference and APBP Professional Development Seminar
- 9/11/2007
Davis, CA USA - 9th Annual Bike Walk Virginia Trails Conference
- 9/20/2007
Williamsburg, VA USA - Governors Highway Safety Association 2007 Annual Meeting
- 9/23/2007
Portland, OR USA - National Recreation and Park Association Congress and Exposition
- 9/25/2007
Indianapolis, IN USA - Walk 21 - Toronto 2007
- 10/01/2007
Toronto, OT Canada - European Transport Conference
- 10/17/2007
Leiden, OT Netherlands - 1st Safe Routes to School National Conference
- 11/05/2007
- GreenBuild 2007
- 11/07/2007
Chicago, IL - Road Safety on Four Continents
- 11/14/2007
Bangkok, Thailand
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
730 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Campus Box 3430
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3430
Phone: 1.877.925.5245
Fax: 919.962.8710
www.walkinginfo.org
www.bicyclinginfo.org