Slide 1

Pedestrian Safety Action Plans
(PSAP) and Focus State / Focus
Cities Initiatives for Pedestrian
Safety in California
David Cohen
Safety Specialist
FHWA California Division


Slide 2

Pedestrian Safety Action Plans (PSAP)

• In 2004, FHWA HQ Office of Safety launched the Focused
Approach to Safety to make strategic safety investments
in the most needed areas. Pedestrian safety in California
was one of these areas.
• Pedestrian safety action planning was the tool FHWA
decided to promote to address the issue both at the
planning and public works / project development levels.
• Planning: Local land use planning, regional
transportation planning, community planning, air quality
planning.
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Slide 3

Pedestrian Safety Action Plans (PSAP)

• Comprehensive needs assessment focused on
long-range issues: Long-range local land use
planning, public education / encouragement, law
enforcement, community planning
• Action plan: Short, medium, and long-range
actions
• Could be statewide (State DOT), regional (MPO /
RTPA) or local (city, county, transit district, school
district)
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Slide 4

Pedestrian Safety Action Plans (PSAP)
History in California
• In 2004, the City of Los Angeles was the only
pedestrian area focus city in California.
• Two, two-day workshops were developed:
– How to Create a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan
– Designing for Pedestrian Safety


Slide 5

First Lesson Learned

• Training alone was not producing Pedestrian
Safety Action Plans
• Local agencies were more interested in Pedestrian
Master Plans, much less focused on safety


Slide 6

FHWA Response
• PSAP Template Development Meeting in Sacramento on
May 29-30, 2008.
Interagency Team: FHWA California Division, California
Department of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Office of
Traffic Safety, Caltrans
Stakeholder Team: California WALKS, Senior Action
Network, interested consultants

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Slide 7

PSAP History
• Pilot Communities
Humboldt County: Nov. 1214, 2008
Eureka: Nov. 17-19, 2008
Chula Vista: Dec. 3-5, 2008

• 12 local agencies in
California have an active
PSAP at this time.
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Slide 8

More Lessons Learned
• Coordinate with LTAP as much as
possible. They may be more
efficient, better- resourced, and
smarter.
• Performance tracking and follow
through is key to sustain future
funding for the program.
• Need for Train-the-Trainer
programs for MPOs and LTAP.
• Integration with Federal-aid
programs (e.g., TE, SRTS, HSIP,
CMAQ)


Slide 9

Focus State Initiative FY 2012

•
•
•
•

City of San Francisco
City of Los Angeles
City of Stockton
City of San Diego

FHWA’s partners: PBIC, UC
Berkeley, CDPH, NHTSA, OTS
and Caltrans Divisions of Local
Assistance, Traffic Operations
and Community Planning


Slide 10

Menu of Technical Services
• PSAP Template Workshops
• Pedestrian Road Safety Audits
• Pedestrian Safety Data
Collection, Analysis, and
Sharing Workshops
• Designing for Pedestrian
Safety Class
• What is the in the SHSP for
local public agencies?
• Norm Change / Risk
Communication Workshops


Slide 11

Engineering Measures Proven By
Research
Pedestrian countdown signals
• 10 to 15% reduction in
pedestrian crashes.
• These are now standard traffic
control devices in the United
States.


Slide 12

Engineering Measures Proven By
Research
Exclusive Pedestrian Phase
• Up to 50% reduction in
pedestrian crashes (for highpedestrian volume sites only).


Slide 13

Engineering Measures Proven By
Research
Add Overhead Lighting Along
Road in Pedestrian Areas.
• 40 to 60% reduction in
nighttime crashes (including
pedestrian crashes).


Slide 14

Engineering Measures Proven By
Research
Road Reconfiguration
(road diet)

Before

• Conversion of four-lane
undivided roadway into three lanes
with two through- lanes and a
center two way left turn.

• up to 25% reduction in total
crashes (including pedestrian
crashes).
• After After

After


Slide 15

Engineering Measures Proven By
Research
Pedestrian Grade-Separation
(Overpass or Underpass)

• Up to 90%, but only if it is
well-planned and designed for
high pedestrian use.


Slide 16

Common Themes to Expect in All FHWA
Workshops in the Focus State Initiative
• Encourage local agencies to engage in the
California SHSP Challenge Area #8 for pedestrian
safety
• Highlight program interrelationships between
safety and livability
• Focus on data and follow through (performance
measures, performance management)
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Slide 17

Questions?
David Cohen
[email protected]
916.498.5868