PEDSAFE: Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
The Pedestrian Facilities User Guide -- Providing Safety and Mobility (published in 2002) provided descriptions of 47 unique engineering countermeasures or treatments that may be implemented to improve pedestrian safety and mobility.1 Included for each of the 47 treatments were a general description, purpose or objective, considerations for implementation, and estimated costs. While that level of information alone is useful to engineers, planners, and other safety professionals, the guide also included two matrices that related the 47 treatments (plus two additional countermeasures of education and enforcement) to specific performance objectives and specific types of collisions. These matrices provide the practitioner with the ability to select the most appropriate treatment(s) if they have a well-defined crash problem or are trying to achieve a specific change in behavior.
This system is the next generation of the information just described. It includes an update of the content of the first version along with case studies that illustrate these concepts applied in practice in a number of communities throughout the United States. The most significant enhancement is the integration of the countermeasures and case studies into the Selection Tool. The tool allows the user to refine their selection of treatments on the basis of site characteristics, such as geometric features and operating conditions, and the type of safety problem or desired behavioral change. The purpose of the system is to provide the most applicable information for identifying safety and mobility needs and improving conditions for pedestrians within the public right-of-way. PEDSAFE is intended primarily for engineers, planners, safety professionals, and decisionmakers, but it may also be used by citizens for identifying problems and recommending solutions for their communities.
Filed in: Community Problems and Solutions, Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Plans and Policies, Crashes and Safety
