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Home > Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety > Pedestrian Safety > A Resident's Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities > Chapter 1

Chapter 1: How can I identify problems with walking conditions in my neighborhood?

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Types of Pedestrian Problems

Definition:

Pedestrian desire lines are preferred walking paths, and are often the shortest or most convenient path between two points. They can typically be found by the presence of worn paths (or "goat trails") through grass, and may indicate the need for a sidewalk.

Understanding and properly identifying issues that can cause pedestrian safety problems is an important part of finding a solution. If the problem is not accurately identified, the wrong solution may be applied and the problem could continue. Some typical problems that affect pedestrian safety include:

Poor walking accommodations

  1. No place to walk—There are not enough sidewalks, paths, or trails. Existing sidewalks and trails do not connect to schools, transit stations, parks, churches, etc. Dirt paths or desire lines show that more sidewalks or paths are needed.
  2. Narrow sidewalks—Sidewalks are not wide enough for people to walk comfortably or pass each other.
  3. Poor walking surfaces—Sidewalk surfaces are uneven, broken, or covered with debris.
  4. Blocked pathways—Sidewalks and paths are blocked by barriers such as vehicles, trash cans, vegetation, snow, utility poles, mail boxes, benches, etc.
  5. No buffer—There is not enough space between the sidewalk and the roadway, or this space lacks trees or landscaping to make pedestrians feel comfortable.
  6. Difficult street crossings—There are long crossing distances and wide intersections that allow cars to turn at higher speeds. There are intersections with no pedestrian signals, curb ramps, or median crossing islands.
  7. Poor connectivity—There are many dead-end streets, few available roadway crossings, and indirect pedestrian paths.
  8. Insufficient pedestrian lighting—There are not enough streetlights to help pedestrians and drivers see each other at night.
  9. Poor guidance—There are not enough signs to help pedestrians find important destinations or know where to walk or cross safely in construction areas.
  10. Conflicts with bicyclists—Bicyclists riding on the sidewalk (possibly because they do not feel safe in the street) may cause conflicts with people walking.

Unsafe driver behaviors or traffic characteristics

For More Information:

See the Frequently Asked Questions in Chapter 4 to learn how high motor vehicle speeds put pedestrians at risk.

Driver not looking for and yielding to pedestrians at a driveway.
  1. Drivers do not yield to pedestrians—Drivers do not stop or yield to pedestrians crossing the roadway.
  2. Speed—Drivers drive too fast through neighborhoods, around schools, or near other places where people are walking.
  3. Too much cut-though traffic—Drivers take short cuts through neighborhoods to avoid traffic on major streets.
  4. Drivers run red lights—Red light or stop sign runners endanger pedestrians and bicyclists.
  5. Illegal passing—Drivers pass other vehicles stopped at crosswalks for pedestrians or pass stopped school buses.
  6. Drunk or distracted drivers—Drivers are more distracted than ever by cell phones, passengers, and other activities.

Unsafe pedestrian behaviors

For More Information:

See the Frequently Asked Questions in Chapter 4 to learn about the safety needs of pedestrians of different ages and abilities.

  1. Pedestrians cross the road without looking—Pedestrians do not look in all directions before crossing the street.
  2. Pedestrians dart into the road—Pedestrians attempt to cross the street when traffic is approaching.
  3. Pedestrians cross the road at unsafe locations—Pedestrians try to cross between cars at traffic lights and between intersections with traffic signals.
  4. Pedestrians do not obey traffic signals—Pedestrians cross against pedestrian signals.
  5. Distracted pedestrians—As with drivers, pedestrians can be distracted by cell phones, iPods, etc.

Poor conditions at schools

For More Information:

To learn more about pedestrian safety around schools, visit http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/
dropoff_pickup/index.cfm.

The issues listed above apply to schools as well; just be sure that you also consider the limitations of children walking near and at the school (e.g., height and ability to see cars, mental development, and skills in judging traffic and making decisions). Additionally, you may want to consider the school pick-up and drop-off zones—these are places with a lot of potential conflict between children walking and buses and cars.

Poor conditions at bus stops

Many bus stops are located in places that are difficult to reach by foot. Some pedestrian concerns that might be found at bus stops include:

  1. Street crossings near the stop are dangerous—Crossings may be inconvenient or there are no obvious places to cross.
  2. The sidewalk is blocked—The bus shelter, seating, or other barriers block the sidewalk.
  3. Seating/waiting area is too close to vehicle lanes—There is not enough room for pedestrians to safely wait.
  4. There are no sidewalks—No sidewalks or curb ramps lead to the bus stop.
  5. People walking near the stop take risks—These may include crossing the street in front of the bus or running across the street to catch a bus.
  6. There is insufficient lighting—The bus stop and nearby street crossings are too dark.
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