Pedestrian safety - Global Road Safety Partnership

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area, for example, narrowing from a four-lane road to a two-lane road through the settlement. Other measures to slow traffic entering a settlement include speed bumps and rumble strips, which can be installed at the village entrance. Posting and enforcing speed limits for driving in settlements is also necessary. Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners • Stopping buses and mini-buses: Bus stops generate flows of pedestrians and tend to be in places that are convenient to passengers and shoppers, rather than safe for pedestrians. Bus stops should be well marked and there should be a designated place for the bus or mini-bus to stop, with footpaths and safe pedestrian crossings nearby. 2.1.2 The width of roads and lanes, and road design speed Source: 20,21. Road widening increases pedestrian injury risk (22–25). Wider lanes and roads, and higher design speed tend to increase motor vehicle traffic speed, which increases pedestrian risk. Wider roads with more traffic lanes and higher traffic speeds are also more dangerous for pedestrians to cross. Road design speed is the initial speed limit for a section of road at the planning stage. Factors considered when determining design speed are sight distance, radius, elevation and friction of the road (26). The design speed is determined before the road is built, implying that it may have to be adjusted to take into account the actual conditions when the road becomes operational, for example, adjacent land-uses and traffic mix. 2: Pedestrian safety in roadway design and land-use planning Reducing the number of lanes appears to improve traffic safety, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists (27,28). Vehicles travel more slowly on single lane roads or when streets are narrow (29,30). Drivers may drive less aggressively and generally feel less safe and thus drive more cautiously on narrow streets (31,32). In general, slow and main streets experience low rates of vehicle–pedestrian crashes, while downtown areas with wide travel lanes and higher operating speeds experience higher rates (33). For this reason, a number of European cities have moved towards designing roads for lower vehicle operating speeds (31). For example, Freiburg in southern Germany has lowered the speed limit to 30 km/h on 90% of its streets and provided car-free residential areas for 15 000 people. The effect of this strategy is that 24% of trips every day are on foot, 28% by bicycles, 20% by public transport and 28% by car (34). The Lancashire County Council in the United Kingdom, where approximately 1.2 million people live (35), has also recently decided to implement a 30 km/h speed limit in all residential areas as well as outside of all schools. The 30 km/h speed limit 31
Pedestrian safety in roadway design and land-use planning programme was approved in February 2011 at an estimated cost of US$ 14.9 million. It involves working with schools and communities to change driver attitudes and, if necessary, enforcement of the 30 km/h limit by working with the police. The first stage of the programme involving the introduction of 30 km/h speed limits with the associated sign and speed limit orders will be completed by December 2013. The programme has only commenced implementation and thus it is too early to evaluate it thoroughly. However, early indications are that the overall approach to road safety is working since deaths and serious injuries fell by 4% between 2010 and 2011 and the proportion of children killed and seriously injured fell by over 11% during the same period. The Freiburg and Lancashire comprehensive approaches to speed limits for entire geographical areas is likely to be more effective than the fragmented approach of home zones or individual streets where one car trip can involve streets with three or four different speed limits. Consistency, complete geographical coverage and total commitment to pedestrian safety are essential. Furthermore, design features such as narrow lanes or traffic-calming enhance roadway safety performance for all road users when compared to more conventional roadway designs (36). 2.1.3 Pedestrian crossings Pedestrians cross one or more roads at some point in their journey, whether at an intersection or not. In many situations, crossing the road increases their risk of traffic injury. Intersections are associated with high rates of pedestrian collisions and injuries because they include a large number of pedestrian and vehicle conflict points (37,38). Uncontrolled intersections exacerbate such conflicts, as pedestrians may encounter oncoming vehicles travelling at elevated speeds that are not required to stop or yield. In some situations, the only way pedestrians can signal their intent to cross is to stand in the pedestrian crossing (39,40). Situations where drivers must yield to pedestrians in, rather than at an intersection, tend to be more risky for pedestrians. The place where two or more roads meet or cross each other is called a junction or intersection. Intersections with traffic controls such as stop signs, markings or managed by authorized personnel are referred to as controlled intersections. Intersections controlled by automatic traffic signals are called signalized intersections. Intersections that are not controlled by traffic signs, markings, authorized personnel or automatic traffic signals – leaving priority and traffic flow at the discretion of the road user – are referred to as uncontrolled intersections. 32
Page 1 and 2: Pedestrian safety A ROAD SAFETY MAN
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Page 5 and 6: Table of contents 2.1.1 Traffic mix
Page 7 and 8: vi Preface
Page 9 and 10: Preface Contributors and acknowledg
Page 11 and 12: x Executive summary
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Page 18 and 19: 1 Why is addressing pedestrian safe
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Page 46 and 47: • About 80% of bus commuters and
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Page 58 and 59: 3 Prioritizing pedestrian safety in
Page 62 and 63: Table 3.1 Pedestrian safety: a road
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Pedestrian safety: a road safety ma
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BOX 4.10: Pedestrians with disabili
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5 Evaluating pedestrian safety prog
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• 79% of the crashes that killed
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BOX 5.4: ‘Living End Roads’ The
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AAppendices
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World Health Organization 20 Avenue
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Pedestrian safety - Global Road Safety Partnership

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