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Click on the links below to learn more about Highway Safety projects currently in the works. |
NHTSA/FHWA Pedestrian
and Bicycle Strategic Planning Research Workshops:
Summary: On April 13 and 14, 2000, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted two one-day workshops on research needed over the next five years to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. This report presents a summary of the workshop activities, recommendations from the participants, and a series of white papers on a variety of pedestrian and bicycle issues requiring further research.
Currently, the report is being reviewed by those in attendance. Once comments are received and incorporated by FHWA and NHTSA, the final report will be available on-line at this site. If you have joined the PBIC email list, you will receive notification when the report is available.
For those in attendance at the conference, you may access the draft report below. The user name and password should have been provided in an e-mail notification. If you did not receive this information, please contact ann.do@fhwa.dot.gov.
NHTSA/FHWA Pedestrian
and Bicycle Strategic Planning Research Workshops (pdf
file; requires username and password to access)
Evaluation of Safety, Design and Operation of Shared Use Paths:Summary: During the design of every shared use path, someone eventually asks, "How wide should this pathway be?" That question nearly always raises even more questions: "What types of users can we reasonably expect? What will the volume of traffic be? When will we need to widen the path? Do we need to separate different types of users from each other?" At the present time, conventional design manuals do little to help the designer resolve these issues. The 1999 AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities states, "Under most conditions, a recommended paved width for a two-directional shared use path is 3.0 m (10 feet) . . . Under certain conditions it may be necessary or desirable to increase the width of a shared use path to 3.6 m (12 feet) or even 4.2 M (14 feet), due to substantial use by bicycles, joggers, skaters and pedestrians..." No further guidance is given to determine what specific levels of use--or mixture of uses--warrants a wider pathway or a separation of users. The purpose of this research is to fill in this information gap, and to give designers the necessary tools to make more informed decisions.
Period of Performance: October 2000 - September 2003
Hazard Index for Assessing Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety at Intersections:Summary: Around 40 percent of pedestrian collisions occur at roadway intersections, and an additional 8 percent at driveway or alley intersections. It has also been found that intersections are present in half of bicycle-motor vehicle collisions. A variety of factors play a role in these types of collisions, from the geometric design of the intersection (width, turning radius, auxiliary turn lanes) to speeds of motor vehicles to the age and behaviors of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. The main objective of this research is to develop hazard indices that will allow planners, engineers, and other practitioners to easily identify features at intersections that place pedestrians and bicyclists at risk. By then developing user-friendly guides to get the information in the hands of practitioners, the indices can be used to identify hazardous locations. Specific countermeasures can then be implemented to reduce certain types of hazards. Intersection indices should also be helpful in influencing future intersection design, as well as accommodating the needs of pedestrians with disabilities.
Period of Performance: February 2001 - July 2004