Pedestrian Safety Action Plans (PSAP) and Focus State / Focus Cities Initiatives for Pedestrian Safety in California David Cohen Safety Specialist FHWA California Division

Pedestrian Safety Action Plans (PSAP) In 2004, FHWA HQ Office of Safety launched the Focused Approach to Safety to make strategic safety investments in the most needed areas. Pedestrian safety in California was one of these areas. Pedestrian safety action planning was the tool FHWA decided to promote to address the issue both at the planning and public works / project development levels. Planning: Local land use planning, regional transportation planning, community planning, air quality planning. 1-2

Pedestrian Safety Action Plans (PSAP) Comprehensive needs assessment focused on long-range issues: Long-range local land use planning, public education / encouragement, law enforcement, community planning Action plan: Short, medium, and long-range actions Could be statewide (State DOT), regional (MPO / RTPA) or local (city, county, transit district, school district) 3

Pedestrian Safety Action Plans (PSAP) History in California In 2004, the City of Los Angeles was the only pedestrian area focus city in California. Two, two-day workshops were developed: – How to Create a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan – Designing for Pedestrian Safety

First Lesson Learned Training alone was not producing Pedestrian Safety Action Plans Local agencies were more interested in Pedestrian Master Plans, much less focused on safety

FHWA Response PSAP Template Development Meeting in Sacramento on May 29-30, Interagency Team: FHWA California Division, California Department of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Office of Traffic Safety, Caltrans Stakeholder Team: California WALKS, Senior Action Network, interested consultants 6

Pilot Communities Humboldt County: Nov , 2008 Eureka: Nov , 2008 Chula Vista: Dec. 3-5, local agencies in California have an active PSAP at this time. PSAP History 7

Coordinate with LTAP as much as possible. They may be more efficient, better- resourced, and smarter. Performance tracking and follow through is key to sustain future funding for the program. Need for Train-the-Trainer programs for MPOs and LTAP. Integration with Federal-aid programs (e.g., TE, SRTS, HSIP, CMAQ) More Lessons Learned

City of San Francisco City of Los Angeles City of Stockton City of San Diego FHWA’s partners: PBIC, UC Berkeley, CDPH, NHTSA, OTS and Caltrans Divisions of Local Assistance, Traffic Operations and Community Planning Focus State Initiative FY 2012

PSAP Template Workshops Pedestrian Road Safety Audits Pedestrian Safety Data Collection, Analysis, and Sharing Workshops Designing for Pedestrian Safety Class What is the in the SHSP for local public agencies? Norm Change / Risk Communication Workshops Menu of Technical Services

Pedestrian countdown signals 10 to 15% reduction in pedestrian crashes. These are now standard traffic control devices in the United States. Engineering Measures Proven By Research

Exclusive Pedestrian Phase Up to 50% reduction in pedestrian crashes (for high- pedestrian volume sites only). Engineering Measures Proven By Research

Add Overhead Lighting Along Road in Pedestrian Areas. 40 to 60% reduction in nighttime crashes (including pedestrian crashes). Engineering Measures Proven By Research

After After Road Reconfiguration (road diet) Conversion of four-lane undivided roadway into three lanes with two through- lanes and a center two way left turn. up to 25% reduction in total crashes (including pedestrian crashes). Engineering Measures Proven By Research Before After

Pedestrian Grade-Separation (Overpass or Underpass) Up to 90%, but only if it is well-planned and designed for high pedestrian use. Engineering Measures Proven By Research

Common Themes to Expect in All FHWA Workshops in the Focus State Initiative Encourage local agencies to engage in the California SHSP Challenge Area #8 for pedestrian safety Highlight program interrelationships between safety and livability Focus on data and follow through (performance measures, performance management) 16

Questions? David Cohen