Charles BuntingPAD 4878
August 2013
Crosswalk Safety
Problem Statement The purpose of this paper will be to determine the best pedestrian traffic control device to install on the 27 crosswalks on Fort Myers Beach, in order to increase pedestrian safety by encouraging drivers to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
T Town of Fort Myers BeachThe town was created in 1995. The town is run by a town council
consisting of a mayor, a vice mayor, and 3 council member.
The town employs a town manager, an administrative assistant, a town clerk, a contracts manager, and a receptionist.
The town has an annual budget of 28,656, 308 dollars.
DepartmentsCommunity Development
Environmental Sciences Division
Finance Public WorksParks and Recreation
Jurisdiction2.9 square miles of
landArea of water
extending 1000 feet from the shoreline
Population in 2,000 was 6,561 residents.
Median age for residents is 59.1 years.
Three Main Business ClustersDowntown area known
as time square and the pier.
A mid island cluster which includes Town Hall, Bay Oaks, and the Library.
The south end of the island includes Santini Plaza, the Holiday Inn, CVS Pharmacy, and many high rise condominiums.
The ProblemFrom November
through April the population increases dramatically when approximately 30,000 visitors descend on the island.
This triples the amount of traffic that travels on the islands main road known as Estero Blvd.
The ProblemIn the past year,
four pedestrians have been killed while crossing Estero Blvd at crosswalks.
According to former Mayor Larry Kiker, there were 24 pedestrian accidents on the island last year.
ProblemEstero is a very busy
road with major traffic congestion especially during the tourist season.
There has been a 20 percent increase in the number of pedestrian accidents this year (Kiker, 2013)
Root CausesThe main cause of this problem is
congestion.Visitors are on vacation and do not pay
attention when they cross the road. They walk out in front of traffic assuming
the drivers will stop because they are in a crosswalk.
Likewise, the drivers are also on vacation and are paying attention to their surroundings, rather than the people in the crosswalk.
StakeholdersResidents of Fort
Myers Beach.Visitors to Fort
Myers Beach.Town Council of
Fort Myers Beach.Lee County Sheriffs
Department.Lee County
Commission
Miami Case StudyMiami has one of the highest
pedestrian fatality rates in the state. In order to solve this problem, the city
set up research teams to explore different countermeasures that could be used in the city to help make it a safer place for pedestrians.
These included “intelligent video pedestrian detection devices” and rapid flash beacons (RRFB).
Miami ResultsThe results showed that some of the
countermeasures worked very well, while others had no significant effect on the behavior of the drivers or the pedestrians.
In Miami the use of the RRFBs increased the percentage of drivers who yielded to the pedestrians quite a bit.
At site #1 the yielding rate went from 0 percent to 65 percent. At site #2, the rate went from 1 percent to 92 percent.
Seattle Case StudyCity leaders were
not happy with the fact that 398 pedestrians were killed from 2000-2009.
The city began installing overhead crosswalk signs at their busiest crosswalks.
Seattle ResultsBefore the signs were installed, the driver
yielding rate was 45 percent. After the signs were installed, the driver
yielding rate went up to 52 percent. The crosswalk signs were also effective in
improving the behavior of the pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Before the signs were installed 58 percent of the pedestrians “ran, aborted, or hesitated” in crossing the road.
After the signs were installed, this rate went down to 43%.
Lakeland Case StudyLakeland, Florida is located in Polk County where
there were 13 pedestrians killed last year (Parody, 2013).
The city has tried to improve the safety of the pedestrians in crosswalks by installing “flashing crosswalks.”
This device embeds lights into the roadway on both sides of a marked crosswalk.
When a pedestrian approaches the crosswalk, he or she will see a button to push that will turn on the flashing lights.
The flashing lights are designed to warn approaching drivers that someone is waiting to cross the road.
Lakeland ResultsThe flashers were
effective in increasing the number of drivers who yielded to pedestrians.
Before the flashers were put in, the percentage of drivers who yielded to pedestrians was 15.8 percent.
After the flashers were installed, the rate went up to 41.0 percent.
Lit Review One Huang, Zegeer, and Nassi (2000)Studied three different traffic control systems that have been employed in various locations to make it safer for pedestrians to cross the road.
Safety Cones in New YorkPedestrian Activated Flashing Amber Beacon
Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalks signs.
Results Huang, et al (2000)The device that
produced the most consistent results was the pedestrian safety cones.
Before the cones were put up, 69.8 percent of the drivers yielded to the pedestrians.
After the treatment, this rate went up to 82.1 percent.
Lit Review Two:Federal Highway Administration (2001)Purpose was to find
out if marked crosswalks were effective traffic control devices.
Second objective was to come up with recommendations to improve pedestrian safety.
Lit Review Three:Federal Highway Administration (2007)Studied
automated video detection of pedestrians.
Flashing beaconsIn street
pedestrian signsMedian refuge
islandsLasted 6 years
Results FWA (2007)Most effective
were Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons.
Next was in street lighting
Pedestrian Countdown signals came in third
Yield here signs came in fourth.
Lit Review Four: Do, et al (2011)The purpose of this study was to identify
some countermeasures that could make crosswalks safer for pedestrians.
The countermeasure study included RRFB, HAWK, Shared Lanes, and Crosswalk Markings.
Results showed signals were effective in reducing accidents by 69 percent.
The type of marking made a difference.Bar pairs and continental markings were
most effective.
Lit Review Five: Bartlett, et al (2012)Bartlett, et al,
studied medians and pedestrian refuge areas.
Reports showed that using medians and walkways can reduce the number of pedestrians killed.
Alternative 1: Rectangular Rapid Flashing BeaconRRFB contains two
LED flashers.Distance between
flashers is 9 inches.Flashing pattern
catches drivers attention.
Uses a stutter flash effect similar to EMS vehicles.
Alternative 1: RRFBIn St. Petersburg, this
was the most effective countermeasure for increasing the number of drivers who yielded to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
The cost for two units ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 dollars.
Alternative 2:HAWK Crossing SystemUses standard crosswalk signal with two
red lights over one yellow light.Light is dark until button is pushed and
system is activated.Yellow light changes from flashing to solid.Alerts drivers to stop.The two red lights come on and the
pedestrians get a walk signal.
Alternative 2: HAWKOverall reviews were
good but there were two issues with this system.
The dark beacons are hard to see.
Some people think it is a broken traffic light and stop unnecessarily.
Cost is 80,000 dollars.
Alternative 3-MediansMedians are areas between lanes of
traffic.Raised medians are the most effective
but they cost anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 dollars per 100 feet.
The road also needs to be wide enough for the raised median.
Alternative 3-Flashing CrosswalkFlashing crosswalks are a series of flashing
lights installed just below the pavement surface.
They warn motorists that pedestrians want to cross.
Cost is 15,000 to 18,000 dollars.They increase the yielding rate from 16
percent to 92 percent.
MethodologyThe purpose of the ARP was to provide the
best solution to a problem in a public service organization.
The project was designed to use a quantative methodology to select the most effective traffic control device to improve pedestrian safety on Fort Myers Beach.
The comparative analysis will determine which of the four traffic devices studied will be the best choice for the Town of Fort Myers Beach.
ResultsAlternative
Legal Financial Organizational
Political Total
#1-RRFB 50 45 33 38 166
#2-HAWK 40 42 32 32 146
#3-Medians
41 43 32 39 145
#5-FlashingCrosswalk
50 52 30 38 172
Selection of Best Alternative The quantative and comparative
analysis concluded that the best alternative for Fort Myers Beach is the flashing crosswalks.
Alternative 4 scored 172 points.The rectangular rapid flashing beacon
came in second with 166 points.The raised medians was third at 146.HAWK system came in last with 145.
ImplementationYear One-Set up control crosswalks using only
zebra stripes to determine which 10 crosswalks will get the treatment.
YearTwo-Determine the total cost and work with Lee County to secure funding and install the treatment on the 10 crosswalks that were chosen.
YearThree-Begin the evaluation process which will compare the crosswalks with and without treatment to determine if the system is effective.
Year Four- If the system is effective, install it in the remaining crosswalks.
EvaluationObserve and record the behaviors of
the drivers and the pedestrians as they interact with the crosswalk system.
Observe and record the number of times a driver or pedestrian is forced to take evasive action to avoid an accident in the crosswalk.
Study the number of accidents that have occurred in the crosswalk before and after the install.
ConclusionThank you for
taking the time to listen to my presentation.
The Town of Fort Myers Beach should make every effort to install the flashing crosswalk to ensure the safety of all residents and visitors.
ReferencesBartlett, Jennifer, Brett Graves, Theo Petritsch, and Tamara
Redmon. (2012). Proven countermeasures for pedestrian safety. Public Records. United States Department of Transportation. FHWA-HRT-12-003. Retrieved from www.flfhwa.dot.gov/publications/public roads 29 May 2013.
Do, Ann, Kay Fitzpatrick, Susan Chrysler, Jim Shurbutt, William Hunter, and Shawn Turner. (2011) Safety Strategies Study. Public Roads. United States Department of Transportation. FHWA Number: HRT-11-004. Retrieved from www.flhwa.dot.gov/publications/public roads. 20 May 2013
Federal Highway Administration.(2010). Safety benefits of raised medians and pedestrian refuge areas . United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved from http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/tools_solve/medians_brochure/medians_brochure.pdf1 June 2013.
References Godfrey, David. (1999). Kirkland's experience with in-
pavement flashing lights at crosswalks. Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting. Retrieved from http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Public_Works/Transportation___Streets/Kirkland_s_Experience_with_In-avement_Flashing_Crosswalks.htm?PageMode=Print. 29 May 2013.
Hefferan, Jennifer and Peter Laggerwey (2004). The city of Seatle, WA, USA, crosswalk and inventory improvement plan. ITE Journal. Retrieved from www. Ite.org/membersonly/itejournal/pdf/2/2004. 24 May 2013.
http://katana.hsrc.unc.edu/cms/downloads/Effects_Un_MarkedCrosswalks_Summary.pdf
Huang, Herman, Charles Zeeger, and Richard Nassi (2000). Effects of innovative pedestrian signs at unsignalized locations: three treatments. In Annual meeting compendium of technical papers [CD-ROM]. ITE. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.ite.org/traffic/documents/AB00H5102.pdf. 17 May 2013.
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