1. Emily Guenther Zach Olson Laura Scott Cameron Wein
Locating Unsafe Areas for Cyclists and Pedestrians in Monona, Wisconsin Geography 578 Final Presentation

2. Study Area Population of approximately 8000 residents
Four square miles of residential homes, commercial properties, and green space surrounded by the City of Madison
Because of its unique geography connecting East Madison to the Isthmus, Monona faces challenges in managing high traffic volume on its three main transportation corridors

3. Study Area

4. Background: UniverCity Alliance
The City of Monona has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to explore sustainable development across four areas: Housing and Development, Community Media, Parks & Recreation, and Transportation
Our role: To assist planners to better understand existing transportation infrastructure, with an emphasis on pedestrian and cyclist safety.
Why is this important?
In 2015, motor- vehicle related crashes claimed the lives of 5376 pedestrians and injured 70,000. Motor-vehicle-related crashes injured 45,000 bikers and claimed the lives of (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2017)

5. Background
“Livable Communities” is a relatively new concept in urban planning that encompasses a wide range of characteristics that describe a general quality of life
Elements: variety of housing types, quality health facilities and schools, reliable public transportation, access to shopping, recreation and culture, physical environment that fosters walking and cycling (AARP Public Policy Institute, 2015)
Benefits of walkable communities: reduced carbon emissions and vehicle related air and noise pollution, physical health and well-being, increased economic activity, higher home values

6. What are the unsafe areas for pedestrians and cyclists while traversing Monona?
Question

7. Methodology Identify five factors that affect designation as unsafe:
Traffic Speed
Traffic Volume
Absence of Bike Lane/Sidewalk
Slope
Previous Accidents

8. Methodology 1. Identify unsafe areas for each data layer.
2. Assign scores of “0” (low risk) or “1” (high risk).
3. Merge data layers to assess total risk.

9. Traffic Speed Traffic speeds derived from existing roadway data
Threshold: Speeds equal to or greater than 30 miles per hour were designated as potentially unsafe
Areas of potential risk:
Monona Drive, Stoughton Road, Broadway, Beltline Highway*
Traffic Speed

10. Traffic Volume
Traffic volume data was obtained from the Wisconsin DOT Interactive Traffic Map
Approximately 30 data points were added to existing road layer
Threshold: Locations with greater then 4000 daily vehicles were designated as potentially unsafe
Areas of potential risk:
Monona Drive, Stoughton Road, Broadway, Nichols Road, Bridge Road, Winnequah Road (south end)
Add map

11. Bike Routes
Bike routes defined as dedicated bike paths, bike lanes, or scenic trails
Corridors with established bike routes were scored “0” and those without bike routes were scored “1”

12. Sidewalks
Lack of sidewalks creates a potentially dangerous environment for pedestrians
Areas with sidewalks were scored “0” and areas lacking sidewalks were scored “1”

13. Slope Contour map converted into DEM via interpolation
Calculated gradients from DEM
Established threshold of 7% grade( four degrees)
Locations greater or equal to a 7% gradient were determined to pose a potential risk
Reclassed to assign values of “1” to sites over 7% and sites less than 7% were assigned a value of “0”

14. Previous Accidents 22 vehicle vs. bike accidents
10 vehicle vs. pedestrian accidents
Accidents were officially recorded from

15. Results: Pedestrian Safety
Score 0-3

16. Results: Pedestrian Safety
Majority of Pedestrian Accidents along Monona Dr.
1 on road with score of 0

17. Results: Bicycle Safety
Score 0-3

18. Results: Bicycle Safety
Winnequah Road and Winnequah Trail are considered to have 0 risk
Scenic bike routes without any bike infrastructure

19. Results: Bike Accidents
Many Accidents on Monona Drive

20. Key Conclusions
Speed and Volume are the most dangerous factors for both Pedestrians and Bicyclists
Bike Infrastructure need to be added to shared bike path

21. Future Considerations
Affect of signage on pedestrian safety
Obstructions and condition of pavement
Crosswalks
Analysis using a more nuanced scoring system

22. References
AARP Public Policy Institute. Livable Communities: An Evaluation Guide Accessed online 4/26/2017
City of Monona. Official Website. Accessed online 4/30/2017
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Accessed online 4/24/2017.
State of Florida Department of Transportation. Manual of Uniform Minimum Standards for Design Construction and Maintenance for Streets and Highways. May Accessed online 4/6/2017.
State of Virginia Department of Transportation. Traffic Calming Guide for Local Residential Streets. October Accessed online 3/30/2017. State of Wisconsin
State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation: Interactive Traffic Count Map. Accessed online 4/4/2017.

23. Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Brad Bruun and the City of Monona