Contact Us!   

Pedestrian and bicycle traffic

In 1997 alone, almost 6,000 pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages lost their lives in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), each year an estimated 5,220 pedestrians are killed; one of seven of those are children. In addition, 69,000 people, including thousands of children, are injured per year while walking on America's streets and sidewalks. Below is an example of how one community has kept pedestrian safety in the forefront. This example is followed by bicycle/roadway safety countermeasures, better known as Bicycle-Roadway Safety 101.

Greater Bethesda–Chevy Chase, Maryland's Pedestrian Safety Coalition says, "Drive with Care, Walk with Caution"

Overview

State and county officials teamed up with community leaders and businesses to announce the formation of the Greater Bethesda–Chevy Chase Pedestrian Safety Coalition to encourage people to "Drive with Care, Walk with Caution." Marking the official start of the high-volume foot and motor traffic 1999 summer season, the new coalition launched its first education and enforcement campaign to make the streets of downtown Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Friendship Heights safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.

Flanked by traffic and pedestrian safety signs, members of the new coalition detailed plans to increase pedestrian safety by focusing on what they are calling the "Three E's:" increasing public education, stepping up law enforcement, and making engineering improvements to hazardous intersections. Campaign materials highlight driving and pedestrian safety tips. Community volunteers and local businesses distributed thousands of safety brochures and bookmarks to pedestrians and motorists at intersections, parking garages, shops, restaurants, libraries, and community centers. The long-term goal is to change driving habits and attitudes so that it clearly becomes the norm that pedestrians have the right of way.

Results

Preliminary results indicate extensive community involvement. The campaign has received significant media coverage, and the campaign's bookmark and two-side palm card have been widely distributed. It appears that everyone is involved: police officers stand at key intersections handing out materials to pedestrians, and the local rescue squad and an Exxon station featured the campaign slogan on their message boards.

Contact

Greater Bethesda–Chevy Chase Services Center, (301) 986-4325

Did you know...

Pedestrians and community leaders can determine how "walkable" their community is by completing the Walkable America Checklist. The checklist helps to elicit what makes walking trips difficult or unsafe and then determines how a community scores on a walkability scale. Suggestions for immediate improvements and what can be done over time are listed. The Walkable America Checklist can be obtained through the National Safety Council.

FYI...

Pavement markings and special signs save pedestrian lives

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately 39% of non-fatal pedestrian injuries and 18% of fatalities occur at intersections. Urban environments are particularly hazardous. A study completed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that the presence of special signs and pavement markings yielded promising results. The study, conducted in Darmouth, Nova Scotia, and Clearwater, FL, evaluated pedestrian behavior at three different and distinct points—before the installation of signs and pavement markings, after initial installation, and 11 months following installation.

The study indicated that "Conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles declined substantially from baseline levels when sign prompts were in place, and that all categories of observed behavior improved with the installation of painted prompts and improved somewhat further when signs were added" (ITE Journal, December 1996, p. 31). An additional plus to the use of these countermeasures is their cost—they are relatively inexpensive and can be widely applied in a variety of situations.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, (703) 247-1500
website: http://highwaysafety.org

Bicycle-Roadway Safety 101

No matter where we live, the level of congestion on our roadways has increased. This can be particularly dangerous for the children, teens, and adults who ride bicycles. Creative and immediate countermeasures are needed to minimize future crashes between pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles. What are the most effective countermeasures? Here is a short list of solutions, suggested by the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Traffic Safety Toolbox. See how many countermeasures have been incorporated in your community.

Encourage helmet use among all bicyclists. Let's start with the obvious. According to the Institute of Transportation Engineers, 80% of fatal injuries and 75% of disabling injuries could be prevented by widespread use of bicycle helmets. If all bicyclists wore helmets, the current 1,000 annual fatalities could be reduced to as little as 300. Today fewer than 5% of all bicyclists wear helmets. In jurisdictions where helmet laws have been enacted and enforced (such as Seattle, WA), usage rates are on the increase. Traffic engineers and policy makers can influence helmet-wearing rates by

1. Securing NHTSA funds to promote the wearing of helmets.
2. Disseminating promotional material that supports the use of bicycle helmets.
3. Placing reminder signs at key locations, such as school zones, bicycle trails, and bridges.

Enhance bicyclist/motorist on-road visibility. This can be accomplished by

1. Enhancing roadway shoulders. Bicyclists should be separated from motorists by smooth, paved shoulders (4- to 6-foot minimum width recommended). This is critical, particularly for roadways with travel speeds of 35 mph or more.
2. Encouraging the use of exclusive bike lanes. These 4- to 6-foot bike lanes are becoming more popular, particularly in urban areas. They make bicyclists more visible to motorists and increase drivers' expectations of the presence of bicyclists. This helps avoid collisions during turning movements.
3. Incorporating "Share the Road" signs onto the roadway landscape. Sometimes crashes occur because motorists simply do not see bicyclists. Greater awareness can be encouraged by the strategic placement of signs.

On some Florida roadways and bridges, motorist recognition and respect toward bicyclists have improved because of "Share the Road" signs in problem areas.

Make neighborhoods safer for both bicyclists and motorists. The majority of bicycling injuries, particularly those incurred by children, take place in neighborhoods, says the Institute of Transportation Engineers. These injuries could be prevented by

1. Incorporating street closures and other similar measures.
2. Considering grouped diagonal parking. This allows for improved sight distances and reduces the likelihood of backing crashes in driveways.
3. Building independent trails through neighborhoods, thus reducing bicycle traffic on the streets. Such trails could lead to playgrounds, schools, and recreation facilities.
4. Ensuring the presence of sidewalk and bike lanes on larger roadways. Children may start their riding careers on sidewalks and graduate to bike lanes. On such roads, also ensure that the driving speeds are kept low and that side-street crossings are wide enough for children to safely cross the street on their bikes.

Ensure that bicyclists are kept in mind when bridges, tunnels, and other contained areas are built and/or maintained. This means

1. Providing bicyclists with reasonable shoulders throughout the length and ends of bridges and tunnels so they have sufficient room to travel safely.
2. Providing nonslip surfaces (no unusual or challenging surface hazards such as expansion joints or drainage grates).
3. Providing adequate shoulder widths for climbing and descending (ideally, 10 feet) helps bicyclists safely navigate during high winds, storms, and long climbs or descents.
4. In tunnels, ensuring the presence of exclusive bicycle lanes that take a bicyclist's psychological and physical needs into account. Additionally, all tunnels should be well lit so that motorists and bicyclists can easily see each other.
5. For underpasses, ensuring ample lighting, adequate sight distances on all approaches, no steep downgrades or climbs, barriers between bicyclists and obstacles, and adequate operating widths.

Take bicyclists into consideration when focusing on roadway maintenance and operational issues. Did you know that some bicycles balance on the space of two dimes (front/rear wheels) and are therefore more subject to surface irregularities than motorists? Even mountain bikes with their wide wheels (wheel contact with the road the size of a half-dollar) can get side-tracked by drainage grates and steel rails. It is therefore important that special attention be given to

1. Ensuring that bicyclists are detected and have adequate signal clearance times at intersections, and that signs are posted to alert bicyclists to special conditions.
2. When possible, keeping bike lanes clear of raised pavement markers and rumble strips.
3. At intersections in particular, adjusting lights and other safety equipment so these traffic devices can detect the presence of bicyclists. This practice would encourage bicyclists to obey traffic laws.

To learn more about how to make your roadways more bicycle-friendly, we suggest checking out

1. FHWA's Implementing Bicycle Improvements at the Local Level (can be obtained online at www.bikefed.org/bike_guide_online.htm).
2. Institute of Transportation Engineers' The Traffic Safety Toolbox: A Primer on Traffic Safety, Chapter 20 (can be ordered online at www.ite.org; or call ITE at (202) 554-8050).
3. AASHTO's Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities (can be ordered online at www.aashto.org; or call AASHTO at 1 (800) 231-3475).
4. FHWA's Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Research Page for articles, facts, and resources (www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pedbike/research/research.htm).

Back to Table of Contents

Next