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Vol. 5, Summer '98

 

[ TEA-21 Still Sweet for Walkers ] [ 5th Meeting of Reg. Negotiation Comm. ] [ Update of Pedestrian Safety Roadshow ]
[ MUTCD ] [ NHI Training ] [ Carol Tan Esse Receives Award for Applied Science ]
[ Completed Activities ] [ Technology Corner ] [ Guidelines for Installing Sidewalks ]

Previous Issues

TEA-21 Still Sweet for Walkers

On June 9, the President signed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the long-awaited successor to ISTEA. The new law continues broad funding eligibility for pedestrian projects and incorporates some notable new programs and activities including:

In other important parts of the legislation, State and MPO long range plans are still required to consider pedestrian needs and "pedestrian facilities are to be considered, where appropriate, in all new construction and reconstruction of transportation facilities."

The law requires FHWA to work with ITE, AASHTO and other interested groups to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating pedestrian travel. The 18 month study is to recommend amendments and updates to AASHTO’s highway and street design standards.

$500,000 per annum is made available to FHWA for grants to a national non-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety for a range of educational and informational activities.

In 1991, ISTEA rejuvenated interest in pedestrian safety and walkability. TEA-21 enables that interest to flourish and develop real momentum at the state and local level. It should be noted, however, that Federal Research and program funding for pedestrian initiatives is more restricted than in previous years. For more information: www.istea.org; www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/ or www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep10/ (the latter address has a range of summaries of the legislation).

Fifth Meeting of Regulatory Negotiation Committee on Outdoor Developed Areas

The Regulatory Negotiation Committee on Outdoor Developed Areas had its fifth meeting in Martinsville, Indiana on May 18-21. The committee is charged with developing proposed rules for newly constructed and altered outdoor recreation areas covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The primary ADA issues before this committee are grade, cross slope, width, and surface type. Some other issues concerning FHWA are environmental impacts, public involvement, and construction costs. The FHWA has been working with many specialists at FHWA to make sure that the rules the committee develops are achievable in the outdoor setting. These rules, if adopted, will become part of Americans with Disabilities Accessibilities Guidelines (ADAAG) and will affect the future development of shared use paths.

Update of the "Pedestrian Safety Roadshow" and Facilitator Training Sessions

The Road Show encourages the formation of a local group of pedestrian advocates, agency staff (e.g. engineers, planners, EMS, educators, enforcement, parks and recreation officers, etc.), politicians and other concerned parties (e.g. builders, insurance and health providers, etc.) -- whether in a public agency or an organized external group -- to focus on identifying and solving potential problems that affect pedestrian safety and walkability. The Road Show also explains what tools are available to the local communities. A unique aspect of the Road Show is that it has been developed to allow the field offices to take a leadership role in delivering "pedestrian" technology to the local communities. To date, we have done 7 sessions and trained over 100 facilitators from State and local government, FHWA, NHTSA, Governor's Office of Highway Safety, universities, LTAP Centers, National Safety Council, Bicycle Federation of America, and other organizations involved in pedestrian safety issues. Training will be accelerated in 1998 and 1999, and you are invited to take advantage of this opportunity to have someone trained or to host a session. Please contact your FHWA Division Office or Leverson Boodlal at 202-366-8044 for information, or the homepage: http://www.ota.fhwa.dot.gov/walk/.

MUTCD Revision

The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices met on June 24-26 in Austin, Texas to discuss proposed revisions to the 1988 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). FHWA staff made presentations on the significant changes to Part2 2A, 2D, 2E and 2F. The revised MUTCD is scheduled to be published in the year 2001.

The Final Rule for fluorescent yellow green (FYG) -- which permits the optional use of the FYG color for pedestrian, bicycle, and school warning signs -- was issued on June 19. The NPRM for Part 7 (Traffic Controls for School Areas) was issued on December 5 and will be open for comments until September 9, 1998. The NPRM for Part 9 (Traffic Controls for Bicycle Facilities) is scheduled to be issued in November 1998. Comments can be made via our Rulemaking Homepage at http://www.ohs.fhwa.dot.gov.

 

NHI Courses

The following course is recommended to increase awareness of Pedestrian/Bicycle safety and accommodation:

  • Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Accommodation Course, NHI 38061

(Contact, Lynn Cadaar 703-235-0528, or check the NHI web page for this and other information,http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov.)

Courses scheduled for 1998:

  1. July 14-16
    Las Vegas, NV
  2. August 25-17
    Lansing, MI
 Upcoming Conferences- 1998
  1. ITE Annual Meeting
    August 9-12
    Toronto, Canada
    (Contact: 202-554-8050)
  2. Pro Bike/Pro Walk Conference
    September 8-11
    Santa Barbara, CA
    (Contact: Karen Nozick
    202-463-6622)
  3. AASHTO Annual Meeting
    November 6-10
    Boston, MA
    (Contact: Hannah Whitney, 202-624-5800)
  4. National Trails Symposium
    November 13-17
    Tucson, AZ
    (Contact:
    520-632-1140)

 

Completed Activity

A summary report (FHWA-RD-97-141) is available on a workshop held on Bicycle/Pedestrian Trip Generation in Washington, DC. The workshop   discussed the state-of-the-practice for non-motorized transportation modeling and identified needs such as data collection; and planning at the system-wide, corridor, and project levels. This report is available through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 or by fax from 310-577-1421.

Technology Corner

The FHWA, in cooperation with NHTSA, is developing a Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis tool (PBCAT). PBCAT is a software product intended to assist state and local pedestrian and bicycle coordinators, planners, and engineers in generating valuable information for promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety and designing safer facilities where pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles interact. PBCAT accomplishes this goal through the development and analysis of a database containing details associated with crashes between motor vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists. The software is designed with the following features: ability to customize the data base; ability to import/export data to other databases; ability to produce a series of tables and graphs defining the various crash types, and other factors associated with the crashes such as age, sex, lighting conditions, etc.; recommended countermeasures; resource and reference information; and on-line instructions and help features. For more information, contact Carole Tan Esse at 703-285-2071.

New Publication

A new document, Design and Safety of Pedestrian Facilities -- A Recommended Practice of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, has just been published by ITE. It summarizes available research and operational information for designers of pedestrian facilities. It is available for purchase from ITE at 202-554-8050. Member price: $30.00. Non-member price: $38.00.

Carol Tan Esse Receives Award for Applied Science

Carol Tan Esse, a highway research engineer at the FHWA Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center, has been named as one of the 1997 recipients of the prestigious Arthur S. Flemming Award in the category of applied science from George Washington University in Washington, DC. The award was given for Carol's work in the pedestrian and bicyclist program area.

Previous Issues

The "Pedestrian Forum" newsletter is available on the Home Page at http://www.ota.fhwa.dot.gov/walk. Topics covered were:

Guidelines for Installing Sidewalks

Land-Use/Roadway Functional Classification and Dwelling Unit New Urban and Suburban Streets Existing Urban and Suburban Streets
Commercial and Industrial (All Streets) Both sides Both sides, every effort should be made to complete missing links
Residential (Major Arterials) Both sides Both sides
Residential (Collectors) Both sides Multifamily - both sides
    Single family dwellings - prefer both sides; require at least one side
Residential (Local Streets). More than 4 units per acre Both sides Prefer both sides; require at least one side
1 to 4 units per acre Prefer both sides; require at least one side At least 4-feet shoulder on both sides
Less than 1 unit per acre One side preferred; shoulder on both sides required One side preferred; at least 4-feet shoulder on both sides

NOTES:

  1. Any local street within two blocks of a school site that would be on a walking route to school - sidewalk and curb and gutter required.
  2. For rural roads not likely to serve developments, a shoulder at least 4-feet in width, preferably 8-feet on primary highways, should be provided. Surface should provide a stable, mud-free walking surface.

(Ref.: Design and Safety of Pedestrian Facilities, Institute of Transportation Engineers, March 1998, 202-554-8050)

Editors:
Leverson Boodlal
(Office of Technology Applications, FHWA, HTA-30)

Tamara Broberg
(Office of Highway Safety, FHWA, HHS-10)

Address: USDOT, FHWA, 400 7th St. SW, Washington, DC 20590

Our Challenge is to create an environment of change
in which all communities "buy into" the concept of
Pedestrian safety and walkability

 

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