Title
Pedestrian Safety Improvements
Description
This report requests the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee recommend City Council approval for the Street Transportation Department Office of Pedestrian Safety recommended pedestrian safety improvements for FY 2019-2020 (Attachment A).
THIS ITEM IS FOR CONSENT ACTION.
Report
Summary
Preliminary numbers from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) show the City of Phoenix experienced 112 pedestrian fatalities on its roads in 2018. These preliminary numbers represent a dramatic increase of 67 percent over the last five years and more than 200 percent over the last 10 years.
However, so far in 2019 Phoenix has seen a decrease in pedestrian fatalities compared to a year ago. For the first six months of 2019, the Phoenix Police Department Vehicular Homicide Unit (VHU) reported fatalities show a reduction to 37 fatalities from 49 fatalities in 2018, a 24 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities.
The Office of Pedestrian Safety has continued to seek funding for pedestrian related grant opportunities, providing increased educational outreach to neighborhood groups and residents, collecting data on our existing pedestrian safety infrastructure, increasing collaboration with outside agencies, and prioritizing capital improvement projects with an emphasis on pedestrian safety. The Office of Pedestrian Safety leads and participates in the interdepartmental staff Pedestrian Safety Task Force, created by the City Manager's Office in April 2018. The Pedestrian Safety Task Force includes representatives of the Street Transportation and Police Departments, the Communications Office, and the City Manager's Office.
The Office of Pedestrian Safety utilizes the four "E"s of traffic safety to enhance pedestrian safety in Phoenix: Evaluation, Engineering, Enforcement and Education. The following items provide an overview of the activities undertaken by the Office of Pedestrian Safety to date.
Evaluation
A collaborative review team that includes the City Manager's Office, Police Department Vehicular Homicide and Motor Enforcement Units, and the Street Transportation Department has been evaluating pedestrian fatalities occuring on Phoenix streets. The review team meets at least monthly to evaluate the circumstances and location of each pedestrian fatality to analyze potential actions to help prevent future collisions at these specific locations.
As part of our evaluation efforts, the Street Transportation Department has partnered with the Design Studio for Community Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU). This partnership aims to create a multi-pronged, interdisciplinary, and solutions-oriented engagement between both institutions on the issue of curtailing pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in the City of Phoenix. This collaboration will involve a variety of expert researchers from ASU who will conduct statistical and spatial analyses of collision data, land use design issues in pedestrian collision hotspot areas, and other available information to provide relevant mitigation strategies for pedestrian collisions.
Engineering
In May 2019, the City activated its 50th HAWK. Citywide data shows that activation of HAWK signals in the City have increased significantly each year, especially recently.
In June 2019, the Street Transportation Department submitted a grant application for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grant program from the US Department of Transportation. The application was created to improve infrastructure conditions along 35th Avenue from I-10 to Camelback Road. The proposed project will use grant funds leveraged with local funds to implement improvements that target existing pedestrian and vehicular safety concerns along this portion of 35th Avenue. If awarded, the 35th Avenue corridor grant will be a comprehensive infrastructure improvement project that will transform the corridor into a safe and efficient route for students and commuters. The US Department of Transportation must award BUILD grants by Nov. 12, 2019. The submitted application aims to prioritize pedestrian safety by applying for funds to incorporate the following measures to improve pedestrian safety:
- Mid-block HAWK Signals.
- Additional street lighting on the west side of 35th Avenue.
- Center medians.
- Full intersection rebuilds of traffic signals.
- Fiber optic cableline installation to increase preparedness for future technologies that would optimize traffic signal timing to alleviate traffic congestion.
In order to mitigate roadway hazards that may lead to unsafe conditions, the Street Transportation Department's new Right of Way Specialists will proactively address traffic safety issues and conduct night time inspections citywide to address street light outages, with special emphasis being placed on pedestrian collision hotspot areas.
Education
In recent months, the Office of Pedestrian Safety has attended four community meetings to provide education and outreach to internal and external stakeholders; providing information and safety tips, and addressing community concerns.
In July 2019, the Office of Pedestrian Safety provided 12 presentations to approximately 400 Street Transportation employees working in our City's right-of-way to increase awareness of pedestrian safety concerns.
The Office of Pedestrian Safety continues to work with the approximately 500 schools in the Phoenix area to increase awareness of pedestrian safety issues. Between Sept. 23 thru Nov. 1, 2019, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator will work with the Police Department and approximately 30 schools in Phoenix to host "Walk to School Day" events, which occur annually and many schools take part in. The Street Transportation Department is heavily involved in the planning efforts for these events and will use this year's events to provide information to school-age children on the importance of being safe in and around Phoenix's streets.
The partnership between the City of Phoenix and ASU will include a pilot program for community engagement and outreach in specific neighborhoods where pedestrian collision hotspot areas exist. The Design Studio for Community Solutions at ASU, will specialize in community-generated problem solving, will assist the City of Phoenix in partnering with a variety of community organizations in the Maryvale area to develop effective public messages and campaign strategies that truly resonate with the public. ASU will also assist the City of Phoenix in gathering and collecting feedback and input that leads to a variety of effective messaging strategies that can be expanded citywide. Potential community partners for the portion of the work include school districts, youth groups, block watches, hospitals, and public health organizations.
In May 2019, the Street Transportation Department received a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to create and print 10,000 copies of a Pedestrian Safety Activity Book for children in grades three to six. The book features engaging activities that teach children about the importance of walking safety. Street Transportation Department staff has been working with designers from the City's Printing and Design Shop to create the book's content. The activity book will also be translated into Spanish and an additional 10,000 copies printed. The activity book will be ready at the end of September 2019 and distribution will be prioritized to schools within the City's pedestrian collision hotspot areas.
Enforcement
For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the Police Department received $80,000 from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to conduct pedestrian and bicycle safety education and enforcement. The Governor's Office of Highway Safety indicated that they will not award pedestrian and bicycle safety education and enforcement to Phoenix for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
Pedestrian Safety Funding
To address the increase in pedestrian fatalities throughout the City of Phoenix, City Council authorized the Street Transportation Department to allocate $2 million in ongoing, annual Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funding to the Office of Pedestrian Safety to continue to implement pedestrian improvements. Fiscal year 2019-2020 is the first year that these funds will be used. The funds are proposed to be allocated to the following areas (Attachment A: Recommended Pedestrian Safety Improvements):
- Improve pedestrian visibility by adding street lights on both sides of street where only side lighting exists.
- Address gaps in street lighting by adding single street lights at existing crosswalks or in roadway segments.
- Add four HAWK signals at high pedestrian activity and/or collision locations.
- Installation of raised medians at arterial hot spot locations with the highest pedestrian activity.
- Fund research through Arizona State University to analyze the variety of factors leading to the increasing pedestrian collision in Phoenix.
- Leverage a $15,000 grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to create and print Pedestrian Safety Activity Book for children in grades three to six in English and Spanish.
- Purchase a variety of safety related and age appropriate items to conduct educational outreach to schools.
- Upgrade all mid-block, unsignalized arterial and select collector road crosswalks to high-visibility crosswalk standards.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.