Pedestrian Resources to Help Talk the Walk

Sidewalks are a much more complicated element of our transportation networks than they seem. Pedestrian facilities can range from sidewalks to ramps, to signals, to off-road hiking trails, and even infrastructure that connects to transit stops or shared bikes or scooter services.

Over the past decade, state departments of transportation (DOTs) have worked in response to a federal U.S. DOT policy statement aimed at incorporating “safe and convenient walking and bicycle facilities into transportation projects.”

Continuing an upward trend in roadway fatalities since 2007, pedestrians and bicyclists made up 18 percent of all fatalities on U.S. streets in 2016 and 2017 despite representing less than 4 percent of all trips. Between 2014 and 2016, over a quarter of pedestrians killed in crashes were struck at intersections. These statistics show room for improvement in safety design and planning, as well as the need for improved data and analysis tools.

Get the data right
The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's (NCHRP) Availability and Use of Pedestrian Infrastructure Data to Support Active Transportation Planning documents the ways state DOTs are collecting, managing, sharing, and analyzing pedestrian infrastructure data.

Case studies in the report cover a diverse group of states; Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Utah, and Washington state. By looking at current practices, agencies can move forward in tailoring the data collection process to build infrastructure that will lead to more consistent and efficient planning and management of pedestrian infrastructure.

“One of the things that the disruption caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored is the lack of systematic data collection available regarding pedestrians. There are a lot of anecdotes about people walking more for exercise because gyms are closed, or for mental health benefits. There are communities that are reallocating street space for pedestrians or biking, but how are those decisions being made, and how will they be evaluated?” asks Laura Sandt of UNC Highway Safety Research Center. Sandt serves as the chair of TRB’s Standing Committee on Pedestrians.

Data needs, metrics, and tools to evaluate projects related to COVID-19 will be part of a workshop at TRB’s 2021 Annual Meeting, Rapid Repurposing of Urban Streets for COVID-19 Emergency Response.

Identify safety and mobility needs
A systemic approach, as opposed to looking for “hot spots,” is one way transportation agencies can identify, prioritize, and select appropriate countermeasures at locations with a high risk of pedestrian-related crashes. NCHRP’s Systemic Pedestrian Safety Analysis from 2018 provides a safety analysis method that can be used to proactively identify sites for potential safety improvements based on specific risk factors, even when crash occurrence data are sparse.

Putting the approach in the report to use in real life was the topic of a TRB webinar. Presenters discussed how local jurisdictions deal with constraints as well as systemic approaches that have successfully been incorporated into existing safety programs. Participants also saw examples of databases, screening tools, and prioritization processes to aid them in the process.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT) went a step further and implemented the methodology developed in the analysis report to develop a statewide plan for pedestrian and bicycle safety. Their experience is documented and can serve as a real world example for other agencies.

New technology can lead to improvements in identifying and treating pedestrian safety and mobility concerns. Forthcoming research in an NCHRP Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) project will explore a novel data collection system to automatically detect, classify, and measure major pedestrian facilities from aerial images using artificial intelligence (AI) methods. Part of the project will involve analyzing aerial images from Caltrans and Mississippi DOT using the new AI tools and making adjustments with the feedback from state agencies.

TRB’s Transit IDEA Program's Development of pathNav: A Pedestrian Navigation Tool that Utilizes Smart Data for Improved Accessibility and Walkability details a pedestrian navigation web app that utilizes smart data and a connected network of sidewalk and pathway data relaying conditions to improve accessibility and walkability. A web interface also allows pedestrians to search for the most accessible routes to their destination based on a custom profile they create for themselves.

Design for safety
Intersection designs and operational treatments that provide safety benefits for pedestrians and bicyclists can be selected based on the succinct process outlined in NCHRP’s Guidance to Improve Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety at Intersections. The process also details the most appropriate situation for applications.

Typical pedestrian crossing treatments include rectangular rapid flashing beacons, pedestrian hybrid beacons, pedestrian refuge islands, and “Yield” or “Stop” markings and signs. NCHRP’s 2017 Development of Crash Modification Factors for Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Treatments quantifies the safety benefits of these and presents a crash modification factor to assist agencies in choosing the appropriate crossing treatment.

A study on driver yield rates in Texas published in TRB’s journal, Transportation Research Record (TRR) found that LED-embedded signs are a suitable potential treatment at sites with sidewalks, lower speeds and traffic volumes, and narrow lanes. The study compared rectangular rapid flashing beacons, pedestrian hybrid beacons, and LED-embedded signs for various posted speed limits.

Make pedestrian plans equitable
To derive a framework for systematically incorporating equity into transportation plans, a study published in TRR reviewed pedestrian master plans of 15 individual municipalities. This framework is intended to influence more equitable plan outcomes and was developed through an analysis of pedestrian plans, but is applicable to transportation plans more broadly.

A Centennial paper highlighted disparities in pedestrian travel and health as a key issue. Sandt notes that there is a growing movement to include pedestrian and equity considerations as a mainstream and routine part of transportation decision-making rather than an element that is added on as an afterthought.

“We can debunk the myth that people only want to travel in vehicles and at high speeds. Walking is a human right, it’s sustainable, and it’s an important part of our transportation systems. In the committee, we’re looking to pull new groups and researchers into our community because being a pedestrian is a mode of transportation that connects to any other form of travel” she says.

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) people can experience inequitable restrictions, risks, and indignities while navigating transportation systems, including as pedestrians. A lectern session at TRB’s 2021 Annual Meeting, Arrested Mobility: Exploring the Impacts of Over-policing BIPOC Mobility in the U.S. will examine ways in which approaches to transportation research, planning, policy, and design can and must be reimagined to achieve greater mobility, health, and quality of life for all road users.

Attempt improvements in context
Political and land use contexts in each city heavily influence the types of treatments that can be considered. Systemic strategies like traffic-speed management in urban environments are documented in NCHRP’s Pedestrian Safety Relative to Traffic-Speed Management. Automated speed enforcement (popularly known as speed cameras) and road diets (making fewer or thinner traffic lanes) may be successful, but may invoke public backlash. To avoid disputes, San Francisco, for instance, found curb extensions to be a successful alternative to calm traffic. Alternatively, Nashville chose to first install walkability improvements in the areas where needed improvements were identified. As a result, city leaders created instant wins, possibly leveraging support for future projects.

Provide focus on pedestrian/transit intersections
Walkers face crossings at light rail, commuter rail, and streetcar services in addition to roads. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program’s (TCRP) Guidebook on Pedestrian Crossings of Public Transit Rail Services addresses key pedestrian safety issues associated with public transit rail services and provides readily available decision flowcharts. The report presents pedestrian crossing issues associated with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It also presents information for 34 treatments and includes four case studies that examine specific decisions with respect to pedestrian rail crossings.

Collision avoidance and alert systems were covered in the 2020 TRB Transit Safety and Security Conference and APTA Mid-year Safety and Security Seminar.

“Reducing transit collisions with vulnerable users, such as bicyclists and pedestrians, is part of what makes these systems so important,” says Lisa Staes of USF Center for Urban Transportation Research. She serves as chair of the conference planning committee as well as TRB’s Standing Committee on Transit Safety and Security.

Taking this a step further, an active TRB Transit Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) project will investigate crash risks associated with interactions between autonomous shuttle buses and vulnerable road users and identify parameters that can improve safety.

Prioritize and protect pedestrians with disabilities
A 2019 TRB webinar provided an overview of the demographics and characteristics of the population with visual impairments as well as technologies developed to aid this population. Presenters described research-based information about the evaluation of technologies, including what is most important to the visually impaired community, meaningful and practical measures of technology effectiveness, and the relative merits of subjective evaluation of technologies and human factors testing.

A forthcoming Transit IDEA project will test a smartphone app designed to aid users in locating bus stops, finding accessible pedestrian pathways, obtaining real-time transit information, and receiving alerts when it is time to board or disembark a bus.

Additionally, NCHRP’s Crossing Solutions at Roundabouts and Channelized Turn Lanes for Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities: A Guidebook provides information about the application of crossing solutions at roundabouts and channelized turn lanes at signalized intersections for pedestrians with vision disabilities.

More information on transportation accessibility can be found at TRB’s blog Making Travel More Equitable for People With Disabilities.

Communicate the many benefits
Ample evidence exists on the benefits of biking and walking being incorporated more into how people get around. TRB’s Conference on Health and Active Transportation in 2019 brought together a number of experts in transportation and health disciplines to chart a course for the future of active transportation.

An article published in TR News on a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop highlighted transportation as related to community health and climate issues. The article also highlights a session tying active transportation and infrastructure to rates of obesity and diabetes in communities.

A report from the National Academies recommends a methodology to assess perception of community support for active transportation and active recreation to better plan, implement, and evaluate public health practice.

Talk the walk by getting involved with TRB
You can be part of TRB’s efforts to improve pedestrian safety, equity, and mobility. Get involved with future Cooperative Research Program work. Look for ongoing information on new projects, requests for proposals, or to nominate yourself or others to serve on a project panel.

Become a friend of TRB’s Standing Committee on Pedestrians and join other experts and practitioners in making our transportation systems safer for all.

“We want to continue to be relevant to early career professionals and students who are doing a lot of quality research in the field,” notes Sandt. “We’re working to update our website to help these researchers identify research needs in particular.”

During TRB’s Annual Meeting, the committee is hosting poster sessions January 25 and 26. An open meeting will be freely available on Thursday, January 7. Registration is required for all Annual Meeting events, although there is no charge for the committee meeting attendance.

TRB reports cited in this article: