Safer People, Safer Streets, and Safer Policies at USDOT--Dan Goodman
#41 Times Change, People Change, Transportation Needs Change - LaPlante
1. Committing a Lifetime to
Active Transportation
ProWalk/ProBike Presentation
Long Beach, California
September 12, 2013
John LaPlante, PE, PTOE
Director of Traffic Engineering
T.Y. Lin International, Inc.
jlaplante@tylin.com
5. Common Traffic Engineering Myths
• Slower speeds reduce mobility and
increase costs for all vehicles
• Speed limits should be set at the 85th
percentile speed
• Required to design to Level of Service C
for the peak half hour 20 years hence
• Federal highway standards and
guidelines require wide lanes
• Spending for Complete Streets is a luxury
we cannot afford
6. Common Traffic Engineering Myths
• Slower speeds reduce mobility and
increase costs for all vehicles
• Speed limits should be set at the 85th
percentile speed
• Required to design to Level of Service C
for the peak half hour 20 years hence
• Federal highway standards and
guidelines require wide lanes
• Spending for Complete Streets is a luxury
we cannot afford
7. Defining Mobility
• Typical experience:
– 45 mph speed
– 2 min wait at signal
9. Benefit/Cost Analysis
• Reducing speed from 45 mph to 30 mph
– For a 5-mile trip, a 3.33-minute delay
– Assume 30,000 ADT and $20/hr driver cost
– $12.154 million in loss to economy, right?
• Wrong!
– Delay for each person is still 3.33 minutes
– Less time than their daily stop for Starbucks
• Community benefit
– Slower operating speeds
– Safer and more comfortable ped crossings
10. Common Traffic Engineering Myths
• Slower speeds reduce mobility and
increase costs for all vehicles
• Speed limits should be set at the 85th
percentile speed
• Required to design to Level of Service C
for the peak half hour 20 years hence
• Federal highway standards and
guidelines require wide lanes
• Spending for Complete Streets is a luxury
we cannot afford
11. Designing
Walkable Urban
Thoroughfares:
A Context
Sensitive
Approach
ITE New
Recommended
Practice
Sets target speed (desirable operating speed)
as the most important design element
12. Speed Affects Crash Avoidance
High speeds equate to greater
reaction and stopping distance
How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan – Engineering 7-12
13. Speed Affects Crash Severity
High speeds lead to
greater chance of
serious injury &
death
14. What about the 85th Percentile?
• The 85th percentile is the speed at which 85% of
the drivers feel most comfortable driving
• It has nothing to do with the comfort of
pedestrians or bicyclists
• It has nothing to do with safety
• It is only based on the ease of writing tickets
However, posting a lower speed limit does not
slow cars down
Only designing the street for the target speed
can achieve that goal
15. Common Traffic Engineering Myths
• Slower speeds reduce mobility and
increase costs for all vehicles
• Speed limits should be set at the 85th
percentile speed
• Required to design to Level of Service
C for the peak half hour 20 years hence
• Federal highway standards and
guidelines require wide lanes
• Spending for Complete Streets is a luxury
we cannot afford
16. Roadway Capacity Analysis
• Designing to LOS C for peak hour means:
– Unnecessary pavement, waste of tax dollars
– Increased ped crossing times, thus reducing vehicular
movement times
– Increased operating speeds for other 22 hours
ALWAYS design urban roadways to LOS D
17. Will traffic volumes always increase? Maybe not
3,300
Annual Vehicle-Miles (Billions)
3,100
2,900
2,700
2,500
2,300
2,100
1,900
1,700
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Since 2005 US VMT has been flat
17
18. Common Traffic Engineering Myths
• Slower speeds reduce mobility and
increase costs for all vehicles
• Speed limits should be set at the 85th
percentile speed
• Required to design to Level of Service C
for the peak half hour 20 years hence
• Federal highway standards and
guidelines require wide lanes
• Spending for Complete Streets is a luxury
we cannot afford
19. Nothing in Complete Streets
Conflicts with National Guidelines
AASHTO: American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials
ITE: Institute of Transportation
Engineers
20. Common Traffic Engineering Myths
• Slower speeds reduce mobility and
increase costs for all vehicles
• Speed limits should be set at the 85th
percentile speed
• Required to design to Level of Service C
for the peak half hour 20 years hence
• Federal highway standards and
guidelines require wide lanes
• Spending for Complete Streets is a
luxury we cannot afford
21. Costs of Retrofitting Urban
Arterials to Complete Streets
• Requires arterial traffic calming/taming:
1. Controlling operating speeds
2. Ped-friendly street crossings
• Geometric issues
• Signal considerations
22. Costs of Retrofitting Urban
Arterials to Complete Streets
• Requires arterial traffic calming/taming:
1. Controlling operating speeds
2. Ped-friendly street crossings
• Geometric issues
• Signal considerations
23. Costs to Control Operating Speeds
• Design to D LOS
• Signal progression
• Narrower travel lanes
• Road diets
• Raised medians and landscaping
• Retain curb parking
24. Costs to Control Operating Speeds
• Design to D LOS – Less pavement =
less cost
25. Costs to Control Operating Speeds
• Design to D LOS – Less pavement = less
cost
• Signal progression – Cost to
interconnect
26. Narrower Travel Lanes
News Flash! 10 and 11-foot lanes are just as safe as
12-foot lanes on urban arterials with posted speeds
less than 45 mph
27. Costs to Control Operating Speeds
• Design to D LOS – Less pavement = less
cost
• Signal progression – Cost to interconnect
• Narrower travel lanes – Less pavement
= less cost
28. Effect of Converting 4-Lane
Roads to 3-Lane and TWLTL
“Classic Road Diet”
29% reduction in total crashes/mile
29. Handles 20,000 ADT
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Dolores Guerrero Valencia Mission S. Van Ness
1998 – before Valencia Road Diet 2000 - after Valencia Road Diet
Mission District, San Francisco
North-South ADT
29
30. Costs to Control Operating Speeds
• Design to D LOS – Less pavement = less
cost
• Signal progression – Cost to interconnect
• Narrower travel lanes – Less pavement =
less cost
• Road diets – Install with resurfacing, no
additional cost
31. Raised Medians
Continuous raised median
40% reduction in pedestrian crashes
33. Costs to Control Operating Speeds
• Design to D LOS – Less pavement = less
cost
• Signal progression – Cost to interconnect
• Narrower travel lanes – Less pavement =
less cost
• Road diets – Install with resurfacing, no
additional cost
• Raised medians and landscaping – With
roadway reconstruction
34. Retain Curb Parking
Eliminating on-street parking
encourages cars to go faster and
discourages neighborhood business
35. Costs to Control Operating Speeds
• Design to D LOS – Less pavement = less cost
• Signal progression – Cost to interconnect
• Narrower travel lanes – Less pavement = less
cost
• Road diets – Install with resurfacing, no
additional cost
• Raised medians and landscaping – With
roadway reconstruction
• Retain curb parking – No cost, parking meter
revenue
36. Costs of Retrofitting Urban
Arterials to Complete Streets
• Requires arterial traffic calming/taming:
1. Controlling operating speeds
2. Ped-friendly street crossings
• Geometric issues
• Signal considerations
43. Free Flow Right Turn Lanes
Avoid free-flow movements…
… they are difficultflow turns across
Eliminate free for pedestrians to cross
crosswalks/bikeways
Asheville NC Designing Streets for Pedestrian Safety – Interchanges & roundabouts 7-10
44. Free Flow Right Turn Lanes
Eliminate free flow turns across
crosswalks/bikeways
45. Pedestrian Friendly Geometrics
• Tighten corner curb radii – With roadway
reconstruction
• Corner “pork chop” islands – With roadway
reconstruction
• Eliminate free flow right turn lanes – With
ramp reconstruction
46. Curb Bulb-outs
Reduce crossing
distance
Improve sight
distance and sight
lines
Prevent
encroachment by
parked cars
Create space for
curb ramps and
landings
47. Pedestrian Friendly Geometrics
• Tighten corner curb radii – With roadway
reconstruction
• Corner “pork chop” islands – With roadway
reconstruction
• Eliminate free flow right turn lanes – With
ramp reconstruction
• Curb bulb-outs – With roadway
reconstruction and on-street parking
48. Costs of Retrofitting Urban
Arterials to Complete Streets
• Requires arterial traffic calming/taming:
1. Controlling operating speeds
2. Ped-friendly street crossings
• Geometric issues
• Signal considerations
49. Pedestrian Signal Considerations
• Time signals for 3.5 ft/sec walking speed
• Countdown clocks
• Ped actuated HAWK signals
• Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon
50. Pedestrian signal timing
Recent studies found that previous 4.0 fps
walking speed based on average walking speeds
(not 15th percentile)
2009 MUTCD now recommends using a
pedestrian walking speed of 3.5 fps for FDW and
3.0 fps for overall WALK phase
52. Effective Communications
50% of pedestrians in the
U.S. do not understand
that “Flashing Don’t Walk”
really means it is OK to
continue walking
So we put signs like this to
“correct” the problem
54. Countdown Clocks
Results from San Francisco:
25% Crash Reduction Factor after
countdown signals installed
55. Pedestrian Signal Considerations
• Time signals for 3.5 ft/sec walking speed –
Signal maintenance
• Countdown clocks – Can be added for
roughly $2,000/intersection
56. HAWK Pedestrian Hybrid Signal
HAWK (High Intensity Activated Crosswalk)
Also in 2009 MUTCD
58. Excerpts from MUTCD Chapter 4F
For Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons
• The CROSSWALK STOP ON RED sign shall be used
• There are Guidelines (similar to signal warrants) for
Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons – variables include:
– Pedestrian volume 500
– Traffic speeds
Major Street - Pedestrians Per Hour
Speeds exceeds 35 mph
Total of ALL Pedestrian Crossing
– Traffic volumes 400
Curves
– Crosswalk length 300 based on
(PPH)
length
200
(see below) Signal
warrant
100
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000
Major Street - Total of Both Approaches - Vehicles Per Hour (VPH)
34 50 72 100 Signal Warrant Minimum Pedestrian
60. Pedestrian Signal Considerations
• Time signals for 3.5 ft/sec walking speed –
Signal maintenance
• Countdown clocks – Can be added for
roughly $2,000/intersection
• Ped actuated HAWK signals – Half the
cost of standard ped signal; lower
warrant
61. Rectangular Rapid Flash LED Beacon
►Beacon is yellow, rectangular, and has a
rapid “stutter” flash
►Beacon located between the warning
sign and the arrow plaque
►Must be pedestrian activated
(pushbutton or passive)
►Studies indicate motorist yielding rates
increased from 18.2% to 81.2% for 2
beacons and to 87.8% for 4 beacons
►Interim approval from FHWA in July
2008
62. Pedestrian Signal Considerations
• Time signals for 3.5 ft/sec walking speed –
Signal maintenance
• Countdown clocks – Can be added for
roughly $2,000/intersection
• Ped actuated HAWK signals – Half the
cost of standard ped signal; lower warrant
• Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon - $20K
and no specific warrant
63. Common Traffic Engineering Myths
• Slower speeds reduce mobility and increase
costs for all vehicles
• Speed limits should be set at the 85th percentile
speed
• Required to design to Level of Service C for the
peak half hour 20 years hence
• Federal highway standards and guidelines
require wide lanes
• Spending for Complete Streets is a luxury we
cannot afford
ALL MYTHS!
64. Common Nonmotorized Myths
• Bikes and pedestrians are alternative
transportation modes
• Bikes should only be on low stress
facilities
• Bike boxes are an answer
• Cycle tracks are the ultimate answer
• Cars are the enemy!
65. Common Nonmotorized Myths
• Bikes and pedestrians are alternative
transportation modes
• Bikes should only be on low stress
facilities
• Bike boxes are an answer
• Cycle tracks are the ultimate answer
• Cars are the enemy!
66. Designating peds and bikes as
“alternative transportation”
is like calling women
alternative men
Mark Fenton
67. Common Nonmotorized Myths
• Bikes and pedestrians are alternative
transportation modes
• Bikes should only be on low stress
facilities
• Bike boxes are an answer
• Cycle tracks are the ultimate answer
• Cars are the enemy!
69. Bicyclist Characteristics
Four Bicyclist Types*
• Strong & Fearless <1%
• Enthused & Confident 7%
• Interested but Concerned 60%
(Includes children)
• No Way, No How 33%
* Roger Geller, Portland, OR
70. Levels of Traffic Stress (LTS)
• LTS 1: Suitable for almost all cyclists, including
children trained to safely cross intersections
(paths, low volume streets).
• LTS 2: Suitable to most adult cyclists but
demanding more attention than expected from
children (bike lanes, sharrows).
• LTS 3: More traffic stress than LTS 2, but less
stress than integrating with multilane traffic (bike
lanes/sharrows on arterials).
• LTS 4: Strong and fearless.
Source: Mekuria, Furth & Nixon- “Low-Stress Bicycling and Network
Connectivity” – Mineta Transportation Institute, May 2012
71. Sidewalks are Low Stress
It’s okay for young kids to ride on sidewalks
76. RELATIVE DANGER INDEX
Of various types of facilities
• Major Streets w/o bike lanes 1.28
• Minor Streets w/o bike lanes 1.04*
• Streets with bike lanes 0.5
• Mixed-use paths 0.67
• Sidewalks 5.32
(* = shared roadway)
1.00 = median
Source: William Moritz, U.W. - “Accident Rates for Various Bicycle
Facilities” - based on 2374 riders, 4.4 million miles
78. Bike lanes most
appropriate on urban
thoroughfares
They get you from one
part of town to another
efficiently
Intersections stop or
signal controlled
No point in striping
local streets with bike
lanes
79. Advantages of Bike Lanes
Can be low stress when wide on low speed roads
Provide access to major destinations on arterials
Guide bicyclists into safer behaviors
More visible bicyclists improves motorist behaviors
Disadvantages of Bike Lanes
Most bike lanes on arterial streets are LTS 3 or 4
Often not enough street width (even with 10-foot
travel lanes)
May require stripping parking (NEVER a good idea)
80. Common Nonmotorized Myths
• Bikes and pedestrians are alternative
transportation modes
• Bikes should only be on low stress
facilities
• Bike boxes are an answer
• Cycle tracks are the ultimate answer
• Cars are the enemy!
83. Advantages of Bike Boxes
Allows bicyclists to go before motor vehicles at
signalized intersections
More visible bicyclists improves motorist behaviors
Bicyclists think they are wonderful
Disadvantages of Bike Boxes
Requires lots of bicycles to gain motorist compliance
Onset of green can lead to blind right turn hooks of
bicyclists approaching from behind
Crash record is mixed, no good data available as of
this time
Not in AASHTO Bike Guide or MUTCD
87. Common Nonmotorized Myths
• Bikes and pedestrians are alternative
transportation modes
• Bikes should only be on low stress
facilities
• Bike boxes are an answer
• Cycle tracks are the ultimate answer
• Cars are the enemy!
90. Cycle Tracks (LTS 1)
Except at intersections
Where a bike signal is required
91. Cycle Tracks (LTS 1)
Except at intersections
Or a combined bike/right turn lane
92. Cycle Tracks (LTS 1)
Except at intersections
Or special markings through the
conflict area
93. Advantages of Cycle Tracks
Very low stress midblock
Encourages bike riding, thereby increasing overall
conspicuity and crash rate reductions
Disadvantages of Cycle Tracks
Requires special intersection treatments (signals,
prohibit vehicular right turns or merged right turns)
Not appropriate on streets with driveways
Takes more room (removal of travel or parking lane)
More costly than traditional bike lanes
Not in AASHTO Bike Guide or MUTCD
94. Common Nonmotorized Myths
• Bikes and pedestrians are alternative
transportation modes
• Bikes should only be on low stress
facilities
• Bike boxes are an answer
• Cycle tracks are the ultimate answer
• Cars are the enemy!
95. Bikes Belong
“All roads, streets and
highways, except
those where bicyclists
are legally prohibited,
should be designed
and constructed under
the assumption that
they will be used by
bicyclists.” AASHTO
