U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/pedforum/
The goal of the FHWA is to continually improve highway safety by reducing highway fatalities and injuries by 20 percent in ten years. Ensuring safe travel on highways is the guiding principle throughout the FHWA. Pedestrian fatalities account for about 12 percent of all traffic fatalities and are one of the focus areas of the Safety Office. FHWA has taken the position that walking and bicycling are legitimate modes of transportation.
There is no question that conditions for bicycling and walking need to be improved in every community in the United States; it is no longer acceptable that over 5,000 pedestrians and bicyclists are killed in traffic every year, that people with disabilities cannot travel without encountering barriers, and that two desirable and efficient modes of travel have been made difficult and uncomfortable.
Every transportation agency has the responsibility and the opportunity to make a difference in the bicycle-friendliness and walkability of our communities. The design information to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians is available, as is the funding. The United States Department of Transportation is committed to doing all it can to improve conditions for bicycling and walking and to make them safer ways to travel. (The "Pedestrian Forum" is also on the web at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/pedforum/)
On Tuesday, October 2, millions of children and adults from around the world walked to school in this annual event. According to the Walk to School Website, http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/
"Walk to School Day 2001 was a great success! The day was about children, adults and community leaders walking to school together to recognize the benefits of walking and the need to create communities that are safe places to walk."
. . .and There's More!
Speaking of walking to school, teachers in the U.K. believe that children who walk to school are more alert and healthier than kids who get a ride. This information comes from a survey conducted by the U.K. DTLR, which found the following:
The information is contained in a booklet - "Safer Journey to School" which is a guide to school travel plans for parents, teachers and principals. It, contains advice on how to encourage more sustainable communities that make it easier to get to and from school. It is available free of charge by phoning DFES publications on 0845-602-2260, quoting reference SRTS99.
(Source: ITE Journal, December 2001, page 17)
The PROWAAC Committee is planning another all-day design charette on April 3 in San Antonio, Texas. The workshop is being held as part of a TxDOT Design Conference. Elizabeth Hilton has arranged this opportunity; she plans to limit participation in the workshop to 100 people. To ensure audience balance, those interested in attending must apply by Feb. 11. Elizabeth will review the applications and select a representative group to participate in the session. If you do plan to participate in the Workshop, you must register for the Design Conference. Workshop registration can only be done on-line and Committee members need to register immediately, before the general registration fills up.
Please go to http://tti.tamu.edu/conferences/design/ for info.
Jim Schmid, former state trails coordinator in South Carolina, has joined John Fegan's team in the Human Environment office of the Environment and Planning CBU. Jim will be working with Christopher Douwes to administer the Recreational Trails program, and on implementation of the Trails Training Partnership with American Trails. John Fegan has Jim working on a range of pedestrian issues. Jim is an on-site contractor with Arrowhead. Contact Jim at jim.schmid@igate.fhwa.dot.gov or 202-366-9766
Carol Tan Esse, manager of the FHWA's Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Research Program, gave birth to Stephen Wen Esse on November 15. He weighed in at 8 pounds and was 21 and 3/4 inches in length. Carol will be on maternity leave until Spring of 2002, so if you have any questions about FHWA's ongoing bicycle and pedestrian research activities, contact Ann Do until then. Ann can be reached at 202-493-3319
The FHWA's Safety Core Business Unit just released a poster that highlights the need for pedestrians to be more visible at night. The purpose of the poster is to demonstrate how much more visible pedestrians are who are wearing retroreflective materials at night - they can be seen about 2 to 3 times further away than those not wearing retroreflective materials. The poster has been sent to all FHWA Division Offices, but is also available to anyone else who would like one. Additional copies can be obtained via the web at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_bike_order/ or by contacting leverson.boodlal@fhwa.dot.gov.
The above document is available for comment from concerned stakeholders until January 30, 2002 (any received after then cannot be considered). The document can be viewed at: http://www.altaplanning.com/projects/rails/. Provide comments to Mia Birk, Principal, Alta Transportation Consulting, 122 NE 28th Ave, Portland OR 97232; phone 503-230-9862; fax 503-230-9864; email: miabirk@altaplanning.com; website: www.altaplanning.com. You are encouraged to send comments by email.
Any other comments or questions about this project, should be directed to Christopher Douwes, Federal Highway Administration, at 202-366-5013, email: christopher.douwes@fhwa.dot.gov, or Pamela Foggin, Federal Railroad Administration, at 202-493-6291, email: pamela.caldwell.foggin@fra.dot.gov.
FHWA's Office of Research, Development and Technology recently posted a series
of papers and reports that address pedestrian and bicycle safety. The publications
can be found at the following locations:
Evaluation of Automated Pedestrian Detection at
Signalized Intersections
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/00097/00097.pdf
The Effects of Innovative Pedestrian Signs at
Unsignalized Locations
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/00098/00098.pdf
An Evaluation of Illuminated Pedestrian Push Button
in Windsor, Ontario
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/00102/00102.pdf
Pedestrian Crosswalk Case Studies: Richmond,
Virginia; Buffalo, New York; Stillwater, Minnesota
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/00103/00103.pdf
he Effects of Traffic Calming Measures on
Pedestrian and Motorist Behavior
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/00104/00104.pdf
An Evaluation of High-Visibility Crosswalk
Treatment-Clearwater, Florida
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/00105/00105.pdf
The new FHWA Administrator, Mary Peters, has signed a cover letter to accompany the recently published 500 page document, Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access: Part 2, allowing the report to be sent to all FHWA field offices and hundreds of people who have requested the new guide. The report is a companion to Designing Sidewalks and Trails, Part I, Review of Existing Guidelines and Practices (1999). It is comprehensive and detailed for transportation practitioners, but written in an easy to understand language for those with less technical backgrounds trying to implement accessibility practices in communities.
Hard copies of Part II are available by faxing a request to the FHWA Report Center, 301-577-1421. If you would like 5 or more copies, please fax your request to the DOT Warehouse, 301-386-5394. Include your street address (no PO Boxes), city, state, zip and phone number with your request. The Report Center and Warehouse are the only outlets for mailing reports. Other FHWA staff offices and the Pedestrian Information Center do not have the staff or facilities to handle report requests.
4-5 PROWAAC Committee meeting, San Antonio, TX;
www.access-board.gov
8-10 Nevada Statewide Bicycle/Pedestrian Conference, Reno.
bicycle@dot.state.nv.us
Editors:
leverson.boodlal@fhwa.dot.gov,
202-366-8044
tamara.broyhill@fhwa.dot.gov,
202-366-4077
400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590
Session/Meeting Time | TRB Staff |
Program # | Committees | Day | Time | Hotel | Room |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Back to the Future: Walking to School Again | Pain | 124 | A3B04 |
Mon | 8:00 am - 9:45 am | Hilton | Jefferson East |
A3B04 - Committee on Pedestrians | Pain | A3B04 | A3B04 | Mon | 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm | Marriott | Wilson |
A3B07 - Committee on Bicycling | Pain | A3B07 | A3B07 | Tue | 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Hilton | Hemisphere |
Video Theatre: Pedestrians and Bicycles | Pain | A3B04 A3B07 |
Tue | 9:00 am - 9:00 pm | Marriott | Eisenhower | |
Accomodating Bicycles on Arterial Streets | Pain | 391 | A3B07 A5014 |
Tue | 1:30 pm - 3:15 pm | Hilton | International West |
Planning for Pedestrians (poster) | Pain | 402 | A3B04 | Tue | 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm | Marriott | Exhibit Hall C |
Measuring Pedestrian Level and Quality of Service (Poster Session) | Pain | 403 | A3B04 | Tue | 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm | Marriott | Exhibit Hall C |
Bicycle Commuting and Safety | Pain | 428 | A3B07 | Tue | 3:45 pm - 5:30 pm | Hilton | International West |
Meet the Experts | Pain | 439 | A3B07 | Tue | 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm | Hilton | Hemisphere |
A3B07 (1) - Subcommittee on Education and Awareness | Pain | A3B07 (1) | A3B07 (1) | Tue | 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm | Hilton | Hamilton |
Pedestrian Safety: The Three E's | Pain | 519 | A3B04 | Wed | 8:00 am - 9:45 am | Hilton | International West |
A3B07 (2) - Subcommittee on Bicycle Traffic Engineering | Pain | A3B07 (2) | A3B07 (2) | Wed | 8:00 am - 9:45 am | Hilton | Jackson |
Nonmotorized Transportation Research (Poster Session) | Pain | 533 | A5013 | Wed | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm | Hilton | Exhibit Hall |
Bikes, Skates, and Pedestrians (poster) | Pain | 537 | A3B07 A3B04 |
Wed | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm | Hilton | Exhibit Hall |
Video Theatre: Bicycles and Pedestrians | Pain | A3B07 A3B04 |
Wed | 9:00 am - 6:00 pm | Hilton | Kalorama | |
A3B07 (3) - Subcommittee on Safety Data and Measurement | Pain | A3B07 (3) | A3B07 (3) | Wed | 10:15 am - 12:00 pm | Hilton | Jackson |
Pedestrian Crash Analysis Tools | Pain | 588 | A3B04 | Wed | 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm | Hilton | Monroe East |
A3B07 (4) - Subcommittee on Planing for Bicycles | Pain | A3B07 (4) | A3B07 (4) | Wed | 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm | Hilton | Grant |
A5013 - Committee on Nonmotorized Transport and Related Issues in Developing Countries | Pain | A5013 | A5013 | Wed | 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm | Hilton | Jackson |
Bicycle Crashes: Injury Research from the CODES States | Pain | 616 | A3B05 A3B07 |
Wed | 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm | Hilton | International West |
Feet First Causus | Pain | A3B07 A3B04 A5013 |
Wed | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Hilton | Terrace | |
Evaluating Share the Road Initiatives | Pain | 634 | A3B07 | Wed | 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm | Hilton | Jefferson East |
Pedestrian Design Guidance | Pain | 704 | A3B04 | Thu | 8:00 am - 9:45 am | Marriott | Delaware A |
Pedestrian Safety Research | Pain | 721 | A3B04 | Thu | 10:15 am - 12:00 pm | Marriott | Delaware A |
Total Sessions/Meetings: 25 |