Title
Downtown Pedestrian Safety
Description
This report provides the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee with information from the Street Transportation Department concerning pedestrian safety in the downtown Phoenix area.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
Report
Summary
With pedestrian fatalities on the rise, pedestrian safety is a major concern for many cities across the United States. To address this national concern, many research studies have been conducted to find solutions to reduce the number of pedestrian crashes on public streets. Pedestrian treatments are one solution that can be employed to reduce pedestrian-vehicle conflicts at signalized intersections. Pedestrian scrambles and Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) are two such pedestrian treatments that can be implemented at signalized intersections and have been found to be effective in reducing crashes involving pedestrians.
A pedestrian scramble is a type of signalized intersection treatment that stops all vehicles with an all-way red signal and allows pedestrians to cross from all intersection corners at the same time, including diagonal crossings. Pedestrian scrambles ensure that people crossing the street are able to do so without any vehicle movement through the intersection, eliminating any conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. Typically, intersections with high traffic volumes, high numbers of turning vehicles, small diagonal crossing distances, and high pedestrian volumes are recommended for potential implementation of pedestrian scrambles. In October 2020, the Street Transportation Department (Streets) installed two pedestrian scramble intersections on Taylor Street at 1st Street and 3rd Street, adjacent to the downtown Arizona State University campus. In addition, Streets is evaluating the feasibility of installing four additional downtown pedestrian scrambles at the1st Avenue and Central Avenue intersections at Washington Street and Jefferson Street, following the completion of light rail construction.
To improve pedestrian safety, cities across the United States have elected to install LPIs at signalized intersections. LPIs adjust the signal timing to give pedestrians a three- to seven-second head start before vehicles in the parallel direction are provided a green signal. The LPIs work to position the pedestrian within the crosswalk to increase visibility and awareness of pedestrian crossings to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and left- or right-turning vehicles. When determining if LPIs are appropriate at a specific signalized intersection, some of the common factors to be considered are crash history, pedestrian volumes, vulnerable populations and intersection visibility. Phoenix has implemented LPIs at ten intersections citywide, with four specifically in the downtown area. The four intersections are Washington Street at 7th Avenue, 3rd Avenue and 1st Avenue; and Adams Street and 7th Avenue.
Through its Office of Pedestrian Safety and the implementation of the Vision Zero Road Safety Action Plan, Streets will continue to explore and evaluate opportunities to improve safety and mobility for pedestrians and all users of City roadways. Further, Streets will work and coordinate with downtown community groups and organizations, including Downtown Phoenix Inc., to identify and prioritize pedestrian safety enhancements and improvements.
This item was presented to the Economic Development and Equity Subcommittee at its June 13, 2023, meeting.
Location
Downtown Phoenix
Council Districts: 7 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson and the Street Transportation Department.