Local Pedestrian-Focused Road Safety Assessments, Fairfax County, U.S.

Dr. Melicent Miller, Virginia Department of Health (VDH); Stephen Read, P.E., Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT); Fairfax County, Virginia; Equitable Cities; VHB (Vanasse Hangen Brustlin)

In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) partnered to facilitate local pedestrian-focused Road Safety Assessments (RSAs). The RSAs targeted communities that were past participants in the Virginia Walkability Action Institute (VWAI) and along roads identified as VDOT Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) priority corridors. The RSAs followed a unique approach - developed by the Prioritizing Active Transportation Health and Safety in Virginia (PATHS) collaboration- including an interdisciplinary team of planners, engineers, public health practitioners, and community advocates. Implementation of recommendations from the RSAs is underway, such as the Backlick Road and Amherst Avenue improvement in Fairfax. The Virginia Highway Safety Improvement Program (VHSIP) is funding proven safety countermeasures such as pedestrian signal push buttons, leading pedestrian intervals, and warning signage as a result of the RSA.  Visit the PATHS website for more information on VWAI, RSAs, and this multi-sectoral initiative.

Improving Pedestrian Safety, City of Cornelius, OR, U.S.

Organizations: ODOT, City of Cornelius, Centro Cultural, and Virginia Garcia Clinic

The Oregon Department of Transportation and City of Cornelius leaders took a major step toward making a safer community for everyone Friday by inaugurating a new rectangular rapid flashing beacon that speaks both Spanish and English to pedestrians on Tualatin Valley Highway. The new beacon will serve the growing multi-cultural Cornelius community and improve safety along the busy highway. The RRFBs have become an increasingly familiar sight on state and local roads. They improve safety by allowing pedestrians to activate flashing amber lights that alert oncoming motorists to people preparing to cross the road. ODOT started using pedestrian activated beacons on Portland area roads a decade ago and has found them an effective tool for improving safety on busy corridors, especially in areas with long distances between traffic signals. The new Cornelius beacon is part of a continuing effort by ODOT, the City, Centro Cultural and Virginia Garcia Clinic to improve safety and integrate equity into design and construction of projects.

Improvement to High Crash Corridor Along State Street, Chicago, IL, U.S.

Chicago Department of Transportation, Sam Schwartz, Civiltech Engineering, Alderman Brendan Reilly

Painted Curb Extensions on Commonwealth Avenue, City of Alexandria, VA, U.S.

2 Street S.W. Complete Streets, City of Calgary, AB, Canada

City of Calgary staff including Alex Saba, Anne Cataford, Cherise Stock, Samad Abdul, Katherine Glowacz, Tom Thivener, Blanka Bracic, and contractor Aecon

In addition to new protected and delineated bike lanes for cyclists, improvements to pedestrian infrastructure included:

• Installation of new curb extensions to slow traffic and enhance the safety of people crossing the road
• Rehabilitation of deteriorated curbs, sidewalks, and ramps
• Installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, additional accessibility ramps and a new traffic signal

As a central residential and commercial district, these changes have improved livability in two of Calgary’s popular neighbourhoods by enhancing connectivity and access to key destinations in the area. Improved safety and accessibility for people walking and wheeling demonstrate The City of Calgary’s commitment to improving multi-modal infrastructure.

Active and Safe Routes to School, City of Calgary, AB, Canada

City of Calgary staff including Monique Castonguay, Jacquelyn Oriold, Meredith Truman, Tony Churchill, Surendra Mishra, Katherine Glowacz; EverActive Schools, Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District. 

The City of Calgary’s Active and Safe Routes to School program uses a multi-pronged approach, focused on coordinating engagement and education with any needed engineering improvements and enforcement to support immediate and longer term increases in active school travel. 

This coordinated approach is internationally recognized as more effective at changing travel behaviours than applying measures independently. Through the program, The City of Calgary partners with schools, community, and provincial organizations to build a culture of active travel in schools as well as implement infrastructure improvements. 

Program outcomes include:

• Addressing verified travel safety issues in school walk zones and implementing capital enhancements such as curb extensions, signage changes and building missing transportation links.
• Encouraging children to use active travel modes for travel to/from school by observing existing behaviour (walk-abouts), developing and executing plans to change behaviour, celebrating success, and monitoring effectiveness over time.

Patio Mural Barriers – Collaboration with Beltline Urban Mural Project (BUMP), City of Calgary, AB, Canada

City of Calgary staff including Andrew Sedor, Ravi Seera, Kennith Lin, Merle Jensen, Uanna Chudyk; Beltline Urban Murals Project and City Council (Ward 8) staff
 

Indoor dining was unsafe and restricted during durations of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants across Canada worked with municipalities to create outdoor patio dining extensions in order to support local businesses. As of July 13, 2021, 188 restaurants in Calgary have a seasonal patio extension. The patio extensions have allowed businesses to expand their seating capacity increasing their ability to generate revenue and has also brought a new vibrancy and outdoor dining culture to Calgary.

While the seasonal patios are popular, there are areas for improvement including aesthetics and enhanced protection for pedestrians and restaurant-goers. To improve aesthetics and safety in 2021, The City of Calgary worked with local non-profit BUMP (Beltline Urban Mural Project) to have local artists paint 30 concrete barriers at the front of patio walkways. The painting of the barriers supported nine local artists financially and showcased their work.

Merrimac Way Active Transportation Improvements, City of Costa Mesa, CA, U.S.

Agencies/Organizations Involved:  City of Costa Mesa, Orange Coast College, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Caltrans Active Transportation Program, City’s Bikeway and Walkability Committee

City’s Project Team included:  Raja Sethuraman, Public Services Director; Jennifer Rosales, Transportation Services Manager; Ramin Nikoui, Associate Engineer; Seung Yang, City Engineer; Naz Mokarram, Senior Engineer

Historically, the City received speeding complaints on Merrimac Way from adjacent residents and Orange Coast College (OCC) staff and students.  City engaged the community to identify safety improvements on Merrimac.  In 2018, Costa Mesa partnered with SCAG and OCC to host a demonstration of proposed improvements and incorporated feedback into final design.

Third Street Pedestrian Safety Operational Improvements, City of St. Petersburg, FL, U.S.

The City of St. Petersburg, FL: Evan Mory, Director, Transportation & Parking Management; Brejesh Prayman, Director, Engineering & Capital Improvements; DiAnna Rawleigh, Director, Stormwater, Pavement, and Traffic Operations; Cheryl Stacks, Transportation Manager; Lucas Cruse, Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator; Evan Birk, Engineering Design Manager; Michael Gebler, Senior Capital Projects Coordinator; Sharon Heal-Eichler, Landscape Architect; Michael Kirn, Capital Projects Coordinator; Todd Berry, Traffic Signals Supervisor; Kevin Jackson, Traffic Signals Coordinator; Michael Frederick, Neighborhood Transportation Manager

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and consultants: Peter Hsu, FDOT District 7 Safety Engineer; William Riha, FDOT District 7 Safety Program Manager; Ginger Regalado, FDOT District 7 Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager; Julie Scanlon, FDOT District 7 Traffic Signal Operations Manager; Daniel Hendrickson, Burgess & Niple, Inc.; Sarah Tarrant, Florida Safety Contractors, Inc.; Pete Yauch, Iteris, Inc.

The City of St. Petersburg partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation for pedestrian safety improvements along Third Street through the city’s downtown.  The State Road is a one-way street that serves as a primary vehicular route, though presents a challenge for pedestrians in an active, urban environment.  The $1.85M project created curb extensions at eleven intersections to reduce pedestrian exposure while also slowing motorists’ turns.  The curb extensions were intentionally designed to allow for striping modifications to provide consistent, narrow vehicle lanes at the intersection approaches for improved safety.  Following construction, operational improvements were also performed to retime traffic signals along the corridor to incentivize motorists to drive at the target speed, not more than 30 mph, while also introducing Leading Pedestrian Intervals based on the new, shortened crossing distances.  The newly-completed project is expected to reduce crashes by 37% based on the Crash Reduction Factors of implemented changes.

Improving the Pedestrian Experience at Signalized Intersections, City of Stamford, CT, U.S.

City of Stamford, CT Transportation, Traffic & Parking Department;   Frank Petise, Stephen Frycz, Luke Buttenwieser

The City of Stamford is currently in the planning stages of a transformative pedestrian focused infrastructure project to upgrade all pedestrian facilities at the 211 municipal owned traffic signals. This project is meant to be all encompassing of the pedestrian experience at signalized intersections (which makes up a significant majority of pedestrian crossing locations in the City). The project will upgrade all pedestrian ramps, add pedestrian signals where none exist and upgrade existing ones, add missing crosswalks, upgrade all push buttons to APS buttons, and analyze timings to install LPI, concurrent phasing, ensure proper crossing time, and putting more signals on recall. When we upgrade the pedestrian facilities with proven safety measures at our signalized intersections there’s a significant improvement for pedestrians and other users as well. The project will touch every neighborhood in the City and be one of Stamford’s most far-reaching and impactful infrastructure projects.

Raised Pedestrian Crossing with Bike Diversion, City of Thornton, CO, U.S.

Organizations: City of Thornton, Thornton, CO Olsson Engineering, Loveland, CO Goodland Construction, Inc., Golden, CO Individuals: Matthew Layman, PE Civil Engineer, City of Thornton

A raised pedestrian crossing with bike diversion was constructed near an elementary school in August 2021. The street is a residential collector with a regional trail crossing that serves as a main crossing point for the school. The street is 44’ wide, with bike lanes and parking lanes, with speeding being identified on the street. Conversations were held with the school district regarding safety concerns during the school drop-off and release times. Vehicles parked too close or blocked the crosswalk making students and other pedestrians cross between vehicles creating unsafe conditions. This project constructed a raised pedestrian crossing with curb extensions narrowing the roadway to 20’ while still maintaining a bike lane in each direction by shifting the lanes to the edge of curb. These improvements increased pedestrian visibility, reduced pedestrian time in active travel lanes while crossing, reduced vehicle speeds, and maintained the multi-model layout of the neighborhood.

Pedestrian Safety Accommodations Along State Route 1, Towns of Dewey, Bethany, and South Bethany, DE, U.S.

Through a collaborative effort between DelDOT and the popular resort towns along Delaware’s coastline, extensive pedestrian safety accommodations were implemented along the SR 1 corridor over the past two years. In the Town of Dewey Beach, a pavement rehabilitation project was utilized to construct a host of pedestrian upgrades from a recent pedestrian safety audit, including 31 curb bump-outs, eight RRFBs at uncontrolled crosswalks, ADA upgrades for signalized crossings, and installation of Delaware’s first two-stage left-turn bicycle boxes. Further south, DelDOT partnered with the Delaware State Police and the Towns of Bethany Beach and South Bethany to implement $2+ million in pedestrian improvements, including continuous roadway lighting along a 3-mile stretch of SR 1 and nine RRFB crossing systems. The improvements were well received by the communities and displayed how teamwork between state and municipal agencies can lead to quick-win results and a safer environment for pedestrians and bicyclists alike.

Speed Limit Reduction on Residential and High Pedestrian Activity Streets, City of Edmonton, AB, Canada

Organizations, agencies, and individuals involved: City of Edmonton and Edmonton Police Service

In order to increase safety and livability in residential and high pedestrian areas, the default speed limit in Edmonton changed from 50 km/h to 40 km/h on August 6, 2021. Slowing down gives people more time to react to the unexpected to prevent crashes and reduce the severity of collisions that do happen. Reducing speeds creates a more comfortable environment for active modes of transportation, builds community trust and creates livable neighbourhoods. Data from active automated enforcement sites on roads with the new default speed limit from August 6 to September 1 indicates that the majority of drivers are complying with the new speed limit. During 1266 hours of enforcement in 40 km/hr zones, two to three violations were captured on average per hour. 76% of drivers were following the new rules.

Vision Zero Street Labs, City of Edmonton, AB, Canada

City of Edmonton

Vision Zero Street Labs is a community activation program which launched in Spring 2021 as a key action in the Safe Mobility Strategy (2021 - 2025). Street Labs are temporary, community-led, customized, creative, and flexible solutions to address neighbourhood traffic safety concerns. The program creates an opportunity to trial traffic safety solutions on residential streets with temporary, adaptable materials. A Street Lab could convert a block to a shared street, add parklets to narrow sections of the road to slow traffic, install curb extensions to shorten a crossing distance, or paint a crosswalk to increase visibility. edmonton.ca/StreetLabs

Safe Speeds Toolkit, City of Edmonton, AB, Canada

City of Edmonton

The Safe Speeds Toolkit is a community activation program which launched in Spring 2021 as a key action in the Safe Mobility Strategy (2021 - 2025). Edmontonians can use the Safe Speeds Toolkit to address concerns about speeding in their neighbourhood and support the implementation of the new 40 km/h default speed limit, which came into effect on August 6, 2021. Available tools include portable driver feedback signs, creative signage, information to educate and communicate about speeding issues, and a mechanism to request automated enforcement presence. edmonton.ca/SafeSpeedsToolkit

Improving Safety at Schools, City of Edmonton, AB, Canada

City of Edmonton

To address school safe mobility issues, the City established a School Traffic Safety Committee in 2016 to better integrate and collaborate with school stakeholders. The School Traffic Safety Committee includes members from the City of Edmonton, school boards, the Edmonton Police Service, Alberta Motor Association and more. Safe mobility is reviewed at schools each year, and when potential problems are identified, engineers identify countermeasures tailored to each school’s experience. By the end of 2020, 237 schools were upgraded in order to increase safety through this program and 48 schools were reviewed in 2020 for upgrades in 2021. Improvements include all marked crosswalks converted to zebra crosswalks, yield signs replaced with stop signs, yellow centre line pavement marking added if the roadway was wide enough, retro-reflective sleeves added for stop sign and crosswalk poles to increase visibility, flashing beacon added at the crosswalk for each school if there was not one already.

Vision Zero School Kit, City of Edmonton, AB, Canada

City of Edmonton

Vision Zero School Kits help create safer streets and more livable communities in Edmonton. Street safety around schools is essential to help protect our most vulnerable road users and is a key action of the Safe Mobility Strategy 2021-2025. When neighbourhood streets are safe, parents, guardians, children and caregivers are more likely to walk and bike to school, use playgrounds, and enjoy local parks thus supporting healthy and vibrant communities. The Kit includes centreline signs (up to two per school) and lawns signs to encourage safe driving behaviours, activities for teachers and students to work together to create vibrant crosswalks and student-designed signage, and resources to learn more about street safety in Edmonton. The Vision Zero School Kit can be used to help build street safety awareness around schools and create new experiences and conversations to contribute to more livable neighbourhoods.

Shared Streets and Mobility Lane, City of Edmonton, AB, Canada

City of Edmonton

Shared Streets and Mobility Lanes are one way we can help everyone stay safe and comply with Alberta Health Services physical distancing guidelines. This work was initiated in Spring 2020, as we adapted to the COVID pandemic. Shared Streets are open for people to use to bike, walk, or other active modes. Since all modes are using the same space with a Shared Street, the speed limit is reduced to 20 km/h. Mobility Lanes open the use of a vehicle lane for people to use for physical activity by closing the lane to vehicle traffic and reducing speed limit to 40 km/h. The locations for 2021 were selected based on population density, pedestrian activity, type and design of the road, safety as well as feedback and data from the 2020 implementation. These temporary installations will be maintained until late Fall 2021.

Busch Boulevard/S.R. 580 - 3’s for Pedestrian Safety

Agencies and Individuals: City of Tampa; Hillsborough County; Ginger Regalado – FDOT District 7 Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Manager; City of Temple Terrace; Bike Walk Tampa Bay – Education Efforts; Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Tampa Police Department – Enforcement Efforts

The Florida Department of Transportation and agency partners deployed a multi-disciplinary approach along Busch Boulevard, a high priority corridor for pedestrian safety, consisting of Engineering, Education and Enforcement countermeasures. The 3 E’s of safety are a powerful strategy aimed at reducing fatal and serious injury crashes when applied in combination.

Engineering countermeasures included providing pedestrian refuge islands and traffic separators, upgrading lighting to LED, providing speed feedback signs, and implementing context sensitive signal timing along corridor segments with history of speeding. Lastly, four Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHB) were constructed and protected left turns and extended walk times were implemented in areas near schools and high pedestrian activity.

Education efforts included on-street education of over 200 drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, business outreach, and on-site education of high school students. Lastly, Enforcement efforts included issuance of warnings and citations as well as distribution of safety materials including bike lights.

First Multiple Corridor Wide Plan for SUPs, Fort Worth, TX, U.S.

Agencies and Organizations: Texas Department of Transportation (Fort Worth District, Design Division and Environmental Affairs Division); Federal Highway Administration; North Central Texas Council of Governments; City of Arlington; City of Forest Hill; City of Fort Worth; City of Kennedale; Fort Worth Bicycle Assn.; Historic Carver Heights Neighborhood Association; Lone Star Cyclists Bike Club; Streams and Valleys, Inc.; Village Creek Neighborhood Association

Individuals: Curtis Loftis, P.E. (TxDOT Fort Worth); Chad Putnam (TxDOT Fort Worth); Naser Abusaad, PE, AICP (Civil Associates, Inc.)

Spanning 16 miles and four cities, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Fort Worth District’s Southeast Connector (SEC) planning study focused on I-20, I-820, US 287 and multiple interconnecting cross streets.  These highly traveled corridors include limited pedestrian and bike facilities and connectivity links to municipal bike trails.  Challenges included conflicting municipal bike plans and emerging, yet unfinalized Federal Highway Administration and TxDOT pedestrian/cyclist safety advancement guidelines. 

Proactively engaging these challenges through the stakeholder agency and community outreach program and consensus-building with neighboring residents, nearby schools, and local cycling leaders produced a continuous multi-modal system plan of Shared Use Paths (SUPs) throughout the corridors with integrated cross-street bridges and ADA intersection crossings.  The SEC study approved in September of 2020 pioneered the Fort Worth District’s first multiple corridor wide plan for SUPs which will integrate and holistically link local bike and Regional Veloweb routes and transit stops.

Safety and Visibility of Pedestrians Crossing Jefferson Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.

 Mercy Health – Adam W. Rogalla, Facility Manager; Strain Electric Co. – Todd Strain, Debbie Strain;  Kamminga & Roodvoets – Ian Martin; City of Grand Rapids: Mobile GR Department – John Bartlett, P.E., Traffic System Engineer; City of Grand Rapids Engineering Department – Rick DeVries, Jeff McCaul, John Wiles, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) – Mark Miller; Progressive AE – Chris Zull, Dan Grover, Karl Kowalske, Dan Westenburg, Kristin Carter, Robert Dolweck

Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Campus is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, MI, between Cherry and Wealthy Street on Jefferson Avenue.  In early 2020, Mercy Health identified a safety concern for pedestrians crossing Jefferson near Maple Street.  Due to recent accidents, the safety and visibility of pedestrians crossing Jefferson Avenue needed to be improved, especially since the crossings are used primarily by hospital staff and patients. 

The crosswalk at Maple Street was improved by adding a Solar Engine Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) to the existing W11-2 & W16-7P signage, and sidewalk ramps were upgraded to current ADA standards for pushbutton landings. The safety of the mid-block crossing to the South of the RRFB was increased by adding a Redipave Modular Median Pedestrian Refuge Island.  The Solar Engine RRFB and recycled truck tire Modular Median make safer, sustainable, pedestrian crossings across Jefferson to Saint Mary’s.

Sinai Rd Pedestrian Lane Project, Halifax, VA, U.S.

Gerry Harter, P.E., PTOE, (M), Past VASITE Chapter President; Siavash Mousavizadeh, P.E., (M); Matt Conner, P.E., (M); Jay Craddock, P.E.; Chris Winstead, P.E.; Kenneth Martin, P.E.; Susan Keen, P.E.; Brian Casto, P.E.; George Rogerson; Glenn Singleton; Vincent Hunter; James Holt

The Sinai Road Pedestrian Lane project was an innovative multi-use facility on a two-lane rural high volume roadway in Halifax, Virginia. This project provided safe interconnectivity between minority/low-income neighborhoods and the only retail convenience store in this rural area by paving shoulders, shifting traffic, adding a curbing/bollard system, and by adding a dynamic flashing light crossing system which provided a solution that immediately benefited users.

The total project cost, at approximately $225,000, was a significantly lower cost solution than a traditional curb/gutter/sidewalk option which would have cost well over 3 million dollars and had right-of-way and environmental impacts. While at a fraction of the cost, this project still improved pedestrian safety and convenience. The main portion of this project (Pedestrian Lane) took approximately 2 months to construct. This is the first pedestrian lane of this magnitude installed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program (PSIP), Ohio, U.S.

Ohio DOT’s Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program (PSIP) provides local governments with technical assistance and funding to construct pedestrian safety improvements at high-risk locations. Eight of Ohio’s largest cities, including the City of Cleveland, were the focus of the pilot phase of this program. The primary goal of the program is to rapidly implement systemic pedestrian infrastructure along multilane arterials—both mid-block and at intersections. Just over $10M of HSIP funding was utilized for this program, with almost $2M being allocated for design and construction within the City of Cleveland. Improvements constructed through PSIP include low to medium cost, proven safety countermeasures, like high visibility crosswalks, RRFBs, PHBs, raised crosswalks, curb bump-outs, and refuge median islands. By the end of this year, 390 new or improved crossings will be constructed statewide through this program—with 42 of those in Cleveland.

Pedestrian Road Safety Audit, Old Bridge Township, NJ, U.S.

Sam Schwartz completed a pedestrian road safety audit (PRSA) for US 9 from Throckmorton Lane/Ticetown Road (MP 124.04) to Poor Farm Road/Hartle Lane (MP 126.91) in Old Bridge Township, NJ. The corridor, which is adjacent to several residential neighborhoods, shopping destinations, municipal facilities, and a school, has a history of pedestrian crashes, including one fatality. Due to social distancing restrictions, the audit event was held virtually using a combination of aerials, Google Streetview, and a photo inventory of existing conditions taken during field observations prior to the audit. The audit team consisted of representatives from NJDOT and Old Bridge Township. These representatives were able to collaboratively develop implementable recommendations that would improve overall safety. Recommendations ranged from signing/striping improvements, and Leading Pedestrian Intervals, to a grade separated multi-use path along this classified Urban Principal Arterial. These recommendations will be included in the Concept Development Report and moved onto Preliminary Engineering.

Raised Pedestrian Crossings at School Zones, Orange County, FL, U.S.

Lauren Torres- Project Manager Safety, Cristian Picardo Cruz- Assistant Project Manager and School Safety Coordinator and Jerald Marks – Project Manager Traffic Calming

Orange County Government in Orlando Florida has initiated a program to add raised pedestrian crossings to all established school zone crossings and any new school zone crossings that meet USDOT Federal Highway Criteria. This initiative was driven by an overall need in Orange County to increase the safety for pedestrians and bicyclists all over the County. We are focusing on children since they are some of our most vulnerable road users.

We have installed 11 so far and are planning to install more at school crossings. Orange County plans to expand the initiative to other locations to include other vulnerable road users like the elderly and handicapped as well as locations that have a context classification that would support this type of improvement.  

Pedestrian Improvements in School Zones, City of Santa Monica, CA, U.S.

The City of Santa Monica working with local neighborhood groups and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has completed installation of pedestrian enhancements around six local schools. Some of the safety improvements are new pedestrian crossing enhancements that include rectangular rapid flashing beacons, yield to pedestrians paddle signs, and right turn only vehicle restrictions near John Adams Middle School and Will Rogers Learning Community, installation of a new crosswalk and pedestrian median near Franklin Elementary School, and construction of curb extensions at Lincoln Middle School.

The City has already received positive feedback from local crossing guards who have noted slower vehicle speeds and improved driver-yielding behavior. These projects were developed through the City’s Safe Routes to School program, which is a collaboration with the community to create safe comfortable walking and biking routes to and from local schools.

Greenwich Avenue & Elm Street Intersection Improvement Project, Town of Greenwich, CT, U.S.

Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner James W. Michel, P.E.; Senior Civil Engineer Jason Kaufman, P.E.;  Town of Greenwich Office of the First Selectman Fred Camillo 

The newly installed curb extensions increase the visual connection between the pedestrian and driver, and reduce the crossing time and distance for pedestrians by up to 40 percent. The sidewalks are now widened into the paved roadway which causes motorists to slow down and be more aware of their surroundings. Another safety component is the raised roadway, which improves visibility between pedestrians and motorists, while slowing the speed of vehicles as they proceed through the busy intersection. To provide better illumination for pedestrians, lights were relocated closer to crosswalks.

Pedestrian Safety Improvements at Logan Circle, Washington, D.C.

District Department of Transportation, Mead & Hunt

In August 2021, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), supported by Mead & Hunt, implemented pedestrian safety improvements at Logan Circle, a complex cluster of eight signalized intersections controlled by a master-two subunit controller configuration. Updated pedestrian Walk + Flashing Don’t Walk intervals were implemented alongside enhanced vehicular clearances in order to “right-size” all clearance intervals.

The work was challenging due to the old interval-based controller firmware, meaning that new intervals had to be created simply to increase clearance values. The controller limitations were complicated by the complex operation of the circle, controlled by 52 vehicle signals and 36 pedestrian signals, and the limitation of an overall cycle length since Logan Circle is within the CBD grid network. These timing changes were made in conjunction with upgrades to signal displays, signing, and markings to improve the safety of the circle for all users, but especially for pedestrians accessing the green space at the center of the circle.