final power point pedestrian safety presentation se rl
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Pedestrian safety presentationTRANSCRIPT
Pedestrian Safety
Presentation to:
Evanston City Council
Monday, August 6, 2012
Public Works Department
On-Street Pedestrian Accident HistoryOn-Street Pedestrian Accident History
This table excludes private property and alleys
52111026322011
5521333522010
6791933152009
TotalN/A*54 & Up19-5313-180-12
*Information Unavailable
Three-Year Pedestrian Accident History by Age Group
Pedestrian Accident PercentagesPedestrian Accident Percentages
Follow up of the Presentation to City Council on June, 18, 2012
Evaluation Committee Formed consisting of:
Public Works Department StaffSuzette Robinson, Sat Nagar, Rajeev Dahal, Tom Twigg, Michelle Cain
Evanston Police Department StaffChief Richard Eddington, Sgt Patrick Moran
Sam Schwartz EngineeringMark de la Vergne
Active Transportation AlliancePaul Lippens
Pedestrian SafetyPedestrian Safety
Evaluation Committee areas of review
• Pedestrian Crossing Designation and Priorities
(at locations without traffic signals or stop signs)
• School Route to Safety and Education
• Speed Reduction Strategies
• High Volume Pedestrian Crossings
(at intersections with traffic signals)
Pedestrian Safety Pedestrian Safety
Recommended Crossing
Designation
• School Crossings
• Senior Crossings
• Park Crossings
• General Crossings
Reviewed
• Crossing Designation and Priorities
• Walk Routes to School Plan
• Existing Treatments and
Potential Improvements
• Other Communities Practices
Pedestrian Safety Pedestrian Safety
School Crossings RecommendationSchool Crossings Recommendation(at locations without traffic signal or stop signs)(at locations without traffic signal or stop signs)
Temporary Treatment • Until sidewalk curb-extensions can be constructed
LED Blinker School Crossing Sign
•Solar Powered
•Push Button Activated
Complete Sidewalk Curb Extensions
•Better visibility and shorter crossing distance
• Complete the installation of signs
• Complete curb extensions where roadway conditions
permit
Senior Crossings - RecommendationsSenior Crossings - Recommendations
• Complete the installation of signs
• Place crossing flags at all locations to alert drivers when pedestrians are crossing the street
• Complete curb extensions where roadway conditions
permit and in conjunction with future resurfacing projects
Park Crossings - RecommendationsPark Crossings - Recommendations
Complete the installation of signs
Approve criteria to establish crossings:• Proximity of pedestrian generators• Proximity of existing crossings• Street classification• Visibility• Availability of sidewalks and compliance with ADA requirements• Number of crossings during peak hours• Pedestrian classification (i.e. children, adults, seniors)• Prevailing speed, volume, and gaps in traffic flow• Accident history
General Crossings - RecommendationsGeneral Crossings - Recommendations
Crossing Requests ReviewedCrossing Requests Reviewed
• Oakton/Barton: Recommend designating as a safe route school crossing and assign a crossing guard.
• Central/Broadway: Challenging intersection which requires major redesign and IDOT approval. Recommend holding neighborhood meetings to potential discuss traffic pattern changes.
• Church/Wesley: Recommend completion of sign installation.
• Main/Custer: Recommend the removal of two metered parking spaces to improve visibility.
• Crawford/Thayer: Recommend the completion of sidewalks to facilitate crossing.
• Oakton/Hartrey: Recommend lengthening the No Parking area for drop-off and increasing parking capacity within the park.
• Oakton/Florence: Recommend creating a No Parking drop-off area on the south side by the school grounds.
• Dodge – Main to Oakton: Recommend a general crosswalk near Monroe.
• Asbury/Grove: Designated school crossing is one block south at Asbury/Lake with crossing guard. Intersection to the north Asbury/Davis has traffic signal. Therefore not recommended.
• Grove/Elmwood: Visibility of signs and pedestrians are issues. Intersection to the west is all-way stop controlled and to the east has traffic signal. Therefore not recommended.
• Main/Pitner: Location at industrial corridor with limited pedestrian activity, therefore not recommended.
Crossing Requests ReviewedCrossing Requests Reviewed
Crossing Requests ReviewedCrossing Requests Reviewed
• Ridge/Colfax: Frequent pedestrian activity has not been observed. Intersection to the north at Ridge/Lincoln and to the south at Ridge/Noyes have traffic signals and therefore not recommended.
• Grant/Cartwright Park: No sidewalk on the south side and less than 3 pedestrians crossing during peak hour. Recommend to restudy after sidewalk is constructed by Presbyterian Homes as part of their ongoing improvements.
• Chicago – Greenleaf to Lee: Intersection half a block north at Chicago/Greenleaf has a traffic signal and therefore not recommended.
• Lincoln School: Circulation issues during school drop-off and pick-up hours. Recommend establishing a “Do-Not-Enter” restriction for northbound traffic on Forest at Main and establish a 4-Way Stop control at Lee and Michigan to provide gaps for school children to cross the street.
Crossing Guard ProgramCrossing Guard Program
City funds 49 crossing guards at 45 locations
• Wilmette, Skokie and other Chicago communities have similar funding
• Mount Prospect and New Lenox school districts fund their program
• Blue Island has cost sharing program
• Forest Park considering moving to cost sharing program
• Nationally, some school districts utilize parent volunteer or custodial staff
Crossing Guard Criteria - RecommendationsCrossing Guard Criteria - Recommendations
Placement at NEW location
At controlled intersection (with traffic signal or stop signs)
There has to be at least 20 student crossings at the designated walk route crossing location during the school drop-off hour or during the pick-up hour.
At uncontrolled intersection
(without traffic signal or stop signs)
There has to be at least 15 student crossings at the designated walk route crossing location during the school drop-off hour or during the pick-up hour.
Crossing Guard Criteria - RecommendationCrossing Guard Criteria - Recommendation
Re-assignment or Elimination at an Existing Location
Crossing guards can be reassigned to other locations or eliminated if during the school drop-off and during the pick-up hour there are:
At controlled intersection: less than 15 student crossings
At uncontrolled intersection: less than 10 student crossings
City Council ApprovalWill be required to place a crossing guard at a new location, reassign the crossing guard to a different location or eliminate a crossing guard position. Evaluation of student crossings will be based on the average crossings at intersections during two school years. Crossing counts will be taken during the good weather months.
• School District 65 look into establishing parent volunteer and/or school custodian staff crossing guard program
• School District 65 consider a cost sharing program with the City
Crossing Guard Program - Recommendations Crossing Guard Program - Recommendations
School DistrictSchool District
Education & EncouragementEducation & Encouragement
What Can School District 65 Do?• Place school walk route map on
school’s homepage prominently
• Encourage walking school buses and bike-trains
• Encourage parents to park and walk to school
• Teach pedestrian and bicycling safety skills
• Teach traffic safety rules in and around schools
Education & EncouragementEducation & Encouragement
What Can the City Do?• Continue to promote and participate in events that
encourages walking and biking
- Name first week of school Evanston Walk Week
- Chicagoland Car Free Day
- Painting Evanston Plows with Safety Theme
• Paint the safety marker on the pavement at each designated school route crossing
• Sponsor Back to School Awareness Campaign
• Add additional education and awareness materials to the City’s website on the stop for pedestrian law and other pedestrian safety concerns
Similar to red-light cameras, speed cameras are a type of automated enforcement that enforce a law that is difficult for the police department to monitor everywhere all the time.
According to the Illinois Vehicle Code, only municipalities with a population over 1,000,000 can utilize speed cameras to enforce speeding around schools and parks.
Note: Change in State Legislation will be required to consider this
Automated Photo EnforcementAutomated Photo Enforcement
Speed Reduction - Recommendation Speed Reduction - Recommendation
Corridors with high pedestrian activity and retail districts should have speed limits of 25 mph or less.
Extend the 25 mph limit to cover other high pedestrian activity retail districts:
• Chicago Avenue from Dempster Street to South Blvd.
• Central Street from McDaniel Avenue to Central Park Avenue
Speed Reduction - RecommendationSpeed Reduction - Recommendation
Radar Speed Display Permanent Placement:
Consider permanent solar powered radar speed displays for streets that have: Two or more schools and/or at least two school crossings (at an uncontrolled intersection) in a major street corridor. The spacing between the traffic signals in the corridor is ½ mile with no all way stop intersection in between.
- Church Street ( Pitner to Asbury )
- Main Street ( Dodge to Asbury )- Oakton Street ( Grey to Ridge )
Radar Speed DisplayTemporary Placement: Continue the placement of movable radar displays in areas where speeding is a concern.
- Purchase an additional four units
Pedestrian Accidents LocationsPedestrian Accidents Locations3 or More (2009 – 2011)3 or More (2009 – 2011)
Accidents primarily on Chicago Avenue corridor and Downtown area
One of the primary reasons is vehicles not yielding to pedestrians while making left turns
Example: Ridge and Davis – all seven accidents involved left turns from westbound Davis onto Ridge.
Pedestrian Accident Location Pedestrian Accident Location 3 or more (2009 – 2011) 3 or more (2009 – 2011)
Recommendations:
• Install “Turning Traffic Must Stop Yield To Pedestrians”
• Install countdown signals or microwave detection signals
• Install different crosswalk treatment
Implementation GoalsImplementation Goals
Signs/Markings August 31, 2012
Speed Radar Placements December 2012
Curb Extension Construction 2013 and beyond