Pedestrian safety - Global Road Safety Partnership

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4.2.2 Reducing vehicle speeds Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners One of the most effective ways to improve pedestrian safety is to reduce the speed of vehicles (16). As discussed above, and in Modules 1 and 2, speed is a key risk factor for pedestrian traffic injury. If possible, speed management measures should be used alongside measures to reduce pedestrian exposure to vehicular traffic. Even if it is not possible to reduce pedestrian exposure to traffic, speed management remains an effective measure to reduce pedestrian traffic risk, and a core component of the Safe System approach. Speed management is much more than setting and enforcing appropriate speed limits. It employs a range of measures in engineering, enforcement and education with the aim of balancing safety and efficient vehicle speeds on the road network. Detailed guidance on the effectiveness and implementation of speed management strategies can be found in Speed management (17), and Speed management: A road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners (18). As shown in Module 2, there is a growing effort to implement system-wide lower speeds of 30 km/h or even less for entire geographical areas instead of focusing on individual streets (19). 4: Implementing pedestrian safety interventions The engineering approach to speed management consists of a number of specific traffic calming measures – physical treatments to roads as well as perceptual treatments and speed limit reductions aimed at reducing vehicle speeds and sometimes traffic volume (20). Traffic-calming measures are generally of two types: • those that require motorists to change their direction of travel by moving either to the left or right; and • those that require motorists to change elevation by either going up or down. Perceptual design is the use of psychological principles such as patterns painted onto road surfaces that encourage drivers to reduce their speed (21). Traffic-calming measures can vary from a few minor changes, through modifications of local streets, to area-wide changes and major rebuilds (20). Their efforts include moderate speed reductions and street design changes, with various degrees of success in reducing pedestrian crashes and traffic volume. A number of studies show a reduction in pedestrian–vehicle conflicts and crashes associated with refuge islands, marked crossings with raised median, road narrowing, staggered lanes, road humps and junction redesign (3,22–24). Box 4.5 provides an example of implementation of a variety of traffic-calming measures in a town in China. 75
3 Implementing pedestrian safety interventions BOX 4.5: Traffic-calming measures in Zhaitang Town, China In China, pedestrians constituted the second largest group (25%) of those killed in road traffic crashes in 2010 (25). Growth of the economy, increasing urbanization and growth of motorized traffic are underlying factors leading to the increase in travel, and traffic situations that lead to pedestrian– vehicle conflicts in China (7). Traffic law violation and inadequate enforcement also contribute to the risks facing pedestrians (26). Various provinces and cities in China are implementing measures to improve pedestrian safety. that data collection will continue for several years to confirm the initial reductions in fatalities and injuries. • Vehicle speed: Observations at three intersections and four crossings indicated that average vehicle speed was reduced by 9%. • Non-motorized transport users’ travel behaviour: Crossing use increased and 65% of people interviewed felt that the measures had reduced speed and improved safety. In Zhaitang town in the Mentougou district, Beijing region, the authorities implemented pilot trafficcalming measures on six roads in 2008 (27). The measures were aimed at reducing speed and improving safety and conditions of travel for non-motorized transport users, and consisted of speed humps, raised crosswalks, raised intersections, speed cushions, roundabouts, chicanes, neckdowns, 2 centre island narrowing, lateral shifts, median diverters, boom barrier and pedestrian refuge islands. A before-and-after evaluation conducted in October 2009 showed that these interventions had an impact on three aspects of road safety (27): • Road traffic injuries: The number of all road users killed reduced from two to zero after the measures were implemented. Similarly, the number of people injured reduced from six to one. It is hoped © Jinhong Guo When choosing traffic-calming measures, it is important to bear in mind the following issues (20): • A combination of traffic-calming measures provides the greatest benefit. Ideally, they should be applied on various streets and area-wide, rather than in one or two isolated spots. • The design of traffic-calming measures tends to be context-specific, so that different measures are appropriate on different types of roads. It is therefore important to apply measures on the street types and areas (e.g. residential) for which they are designed. Some are appropriate at intersections, some in lowvolume residential areas, and others are meant to be applied area-wide. Table 4.2 provides an overview of the application of various calming measures to road types – arterial and local – as well as their anticipated impact on traffic volume. 3 Neckdowns are kerb extensions that create a narrowing of streets at intersections. 76
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Pedestrian safety A ROAD SAFETY MAN
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WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publicat
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Table of contents 2.1.1 Traffic mix
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vi Preface
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Preface Contributors and acknowledg
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x Executive summary
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Pedestrian safety: a road safety ma
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