What Happened?
Cities worldwide are implementing new programs that focus on pedestrian safety to lower injury and fatality rates, while improving walkability. Many of these programs are being fueled by grant funding.
The Stats
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration traffic deaths in the United States have declined, but pedestrian fatalities are on the rise. In 2013, there was a 3.1 percent drop in traffic deaths year-over-year but 4,735 pedestrians died across the country, up 15 percent from 2009.
In addition, the NHTSA estimates a pedestrian is killed every two hours somewhere in the United States and another is injured every seven minutes in traffic crashes. Pedestrians account for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 3 percent of traffic injuries.
Pilot Programs
In response, the U.S. Department of Transportation is offering $1.6 million in grants for three cities to pilot and promote pedestrian safety with new street designs and awareness tools. New York City, Philadelphia and Louisville will receive a portion of $1.6 million in federal grants to build public education and enforcement initiatives to improve pedestrian safety and lower injury and fatality rates.
The cities demonstrate exceptionally high rates of pedestrian fatalities and will test strategies of the Everyone Is A Pedestrian:
- Louisville: Louisville will use $307,000 to create a pedestrian education program for students while implementing safe walking routes for senior citizens. Law enforcement training and crosswalk instructions will be provided to city employees as well.
- Philadelphia: Philadelphia will use $525,000 to increase police visibility and ticketing during high risk hours in 20 high-crash, downtown locations. The city will also launch outreach programs to educate the public and train police officers on new pedestrian safety strategies.
- New York City: New York City will use $805,801 to launch a social media campaign to create awareness in young men, who are most likely to get injured in crashes. The city will also increase enforcement in high-crash areas and crack down on speeding drivers.
The overall goal of the grant program is to support awareness campaigns that emphasize the importance of pedestrian safety for both pedestrians and drivers.
Other Opportunities
In addition, the Federal Highway Administration awarded a total of $30 million in federal grants to public transit agencies through its Accredited Innovation Deployment Demonstration Program. Under the initiative, the FHWA is dividing $5.4 million among several states to accelerate innovative road and bridge work. Utah, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio will use the funding to launch and complete roadway projects aimed at improving efficiency and safety.
The FHWA created an outline of tactics cities can implement to improve pedestrian safety including:
- Roundabouts
- Corridor access management
- Backplates with retroreflective borders
- Longitudinal rumble strips and stripes on roads
- Delineation and friction for horizontal curves
- Safety edges
- Pedestrian crossing islands
- Pedestrian hybrid beacons
Furthermore, the FHWA created a Road Diet for local governments to use when launching roadway projects that address safety concerns as well as overall efficiency.
Safety First
Gov1 has reported on a growing number of pedestrian-focused initiatives that increase visibility while making better use of federal grant dollars.