Pedestrian safety - Global Road Safety Partnership

Prioritizing pedestrian safety interventions and preparing a plan of action
3.3.2 Core components of an action plan
Strong plans of action have several components in common:
A well-defined problem
The main purpose of the situational assessment is to provide a comprehensive picture
of the local pedestrian traffic injury situation. Without this assessment, the plan of
action may not be focused on the most important issues and solutions.
Clear objectives
The action plan may be comprehensive, addressing a wide range of risk factors, or
it may start with a more focused approach, covering a few very specific objectives.
The experience of cities such as Curitiba, Brazil, and Copenhagen, Denmark, shows
that even action plans with only a few goals, such as creating a pedestrian street
or implementing speed control measures on a busy street, can yield significant
results (14). Plans can be expanded over time to include other issues if resources and
political commitment permit.
General principles to consider in defining objectives include:
• Objectives should be clear and specify a measurable outcome in a defined time
period. Keep the objectives SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and
time-bound.
• Objectives should be evidence-informed, deriving from the situational assessment
as well as available literature.
• Objectives should include pedestrian fatality and injury reductions and also
reductions in other risks that may result from improving conditions for walking.
Changing attitudes of the public towards the rights of pedestrians and the need
to protect their safety, and incorporating pedestrian safety into decision-making
processes should also be considered.
• Both short-term and medium- to long-term objectives are desirable.
Realistic targets
Targets specify the improvements expected within a certain time period, and
setting targets has been shown to strengthen commitment to improve road
safety (15). Targets provide a benchmark to monitor ongoing progress in achieving
objectives. They enable better use of resources and better management of road safety
programmes by providing an opportunity to adjust activities along the way and
therefore increase the likelihood of achieving specified objectives (15,16).
Targets can be set based on the objectives of the plan and/or the historical experience
of results achieved during the implementation of pedestrian safety measures. General
principles to consider in setting targets include the following:
• Set specific and realistic targets.
• Set quantified targets as much as possible.
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