Title
Pedestrian Safety Program Update
Description
This report provides the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee with an update on the Street Transportation Department’s (Streets) Office of Pedestrian Safety activities.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
Report
Summary
To address pedestrian fatalities in Phoenix, the City Manager’s Office created the Pedestrian Safety Task Force in 2018. Streets’ Office of Pedestrian Safety leads and participates in the interdepartmental Pedestrian Safety Task Force, which includes representatives of the Street Transportation and Police departments, the Communications Office, and the City Manager's Office.
The Office of Pedestrian Safety has continued to seek funding for pedestrian safety related grant opportunities, provide increased educational outreach to neighborhood groups and residents, collect data on existing pedestrian safety infrastructure, increase collaboration with outside agencies, and prioritize capital improvement projects with an emphasis on pedestrian safety.
Pedestrian Fatalities
Preliminary numbers from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) show the City of Phoenix experienced 86 pedestrian fatalities on its roads in 2019. These preliminary numbers represent an increase of 28 percent over the past five years (2015 to 2019) and an increase of 91 percent over the past 10 years (2010 to 2019). Yet these numbers also show a decrease of 17 percent in pedestrian fatalities between 2018 and 2019.
Preliminary partial year data for 2020 indicates that Phoenix has seen a decrease in pedestrian fatalities compared to a year ago. The Phoenix Police Department Vehicular Homicide Unit has reported 37 fatalities from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 2020. This is a 36 percent decrease from the 58 fatalities reported during the same time period in 2019.
Pedestrian Safety Funding and Improvements
To address the increase in pedestrian fatalities throughout the City of Phoenix, City Council authorized Streets to allocate $2 million in ongoing, annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funding to the Office of Pedestrian Safety to provide continuous funding to implement pedestrian-related safety improvements. Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 was the first year these funds were programmed.
Streets’ Office of Pedestrian Safety utilizes the four "E"s of traffic safety to continue to enhance pedestrian safety in Phoenix: Evaluation, Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. In reference to Evaluation, Engineering, and Education, the following provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the Office of Pedestrian Safety to date and future activities. It should be noted that Enforcement activities are conducted by the Police Department with input from Streets.
FY 2020 Accomplishments
The Office of Pedestrian Safety funded and worked on several pedestrian safety improvements in FY 2020. Highlights are summarized below, but additional details on the accomplishments of the Office of Pedestrian Safety, including progress and projects, are detailed in Attachment A.
Engineering
HAWK Timing Adjustments
The Streets traffic signal team completed adjustments to the timing of all HAWK signals throughout Phoenix to provide shorter wait times for pedestrians during non-peak traffic hours. During peak hours, HAWK signals are synchronized with nearby traffic signals, but these timing adjustments allow for HAWK signals to be activated without delay during non-peak traffic hours.
Pedestrian Safety Devices
The Office of Pedestrian Safety developed a plan for the installation of new pedestrian safety devices to create a more seamless design and construction process. As these projects are typically implemented over multiple fiscal years, this part of the plan involves utilizing funds from one fiscal year for design and funds from the next fiscal year for construction.
In FY 2020, the Office of Pedestrian Safety prioritized the design of eight HAWK signals and one traffic signal in high, mid-block pedestrian collision locations. The locations are shown in Attachment A. The design and construction of these signals are in various stages of design and construction, but all are anticipated to be completed by the end of FY 2021. In addition, pedestrian safety funding was also used for the construction of a traffic signal at 57th Drive and McDowell Road at the Academy of Math and Science - Desert Sky.
Streetlighting
The Office of Pedestrian Safety completed design of new streetlighting for a critical half-mile segment along 27th Avenue between Bethany Home Road and Maryland Avenue. Construction is planned for later this fiscal year. The team also began designing an additional half-mile segment along Thomas Road between 32nd and 36th Streets for construction in FY 2022. Both segments have a high incidence of pedestrian collisions over the past five years.
Pedestrian Refuge Median Islands
The Office of Pedestrian Safety designed two pedestrian refuge median islands. The first location at 43rd Avenue south of Baseline Road was installed in May 2020. This location aides school crossings at Legacy Traditional Charter School. The second location on Buckeye Road just east of Sky Harbor Circle was designed, with installation scheduled for completion in December 2020.
Crosswalk Upgrades
The Office of Pedestrian Safety upgraded 85 unsignalized crossing locations to improve driver visibility of these crosswalks. Staff utilized resident requests and field observations to add high visibility striping and yield lines, double-sided street signs, and in some locations, additional streetlights and/or ADA ramp upgrades.
Education
Pedestrian Safety Activity Book
In FY 2020, the Office of Pedestrian Safety designed a Pedestrian Safety Activity Book for children in grades three to six, which was also translated into Spanish. The team printed 13,000 copies in English and 10,000 copies in Spanish.
Educational Events and Materials
The Office of Pedestrian Safety completed the Spanish translation and printed 10,000 copies of the Pedestrian Safety Activity Book, which is geared to elementary school-aged children (in third through sixth grades).
The Office of Pedestrian Safety developed a six-week curriculum for pedestrian safety to be delivered at elementary schools. This curriculum was provided for approximately 100 third graders at Mitchell Elementary School in Maryvale. Additional classes were scheduled at other schools but were canceled due to COVID-19. Class sessions will resume as soon as it is safe to do so.
Evaluation
Partnerships for Research
As part of its evaluation efforts, Streets 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 involved a variety of expert researchers from ASU who conducted two research studies analyzing Phoenix’s pedestrian collision data. The findings and recommendations of these studies are currently being reviewed by Streets staff.
FY2021 Recommended Improvements
The Office of Pedestrian Safety’s plan for utilizing its FY 2021 funding is included in Attachment B. The plan will continue to be focused on Engineering, Evaluation, and Education, and highlights of the FY 2021 projects and efforts are shown below:
- Improving pedestrian visibility by adding streetlights on both sides of a street where only one-sided lighting exists;
- Addressing gaps in pedestrian safety by adding single streetlights at existing crosswalks, or in roadway segments, and improving crosswalk infrastructure;
- Constructing five HAWK signals and one traffic signal at high pedestrian activity and/or collision locations;
- Designing six new HAWK signals and one traffic signal;
- Installing raised pedestrian refuge median islands at locations with high pedestrian activity;
- Improving signalized crosswalk visibility and standardize citywide details for pedestrian infrastructure;
- Funding a safety analysis tool to aid in the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of infrastructure installation projects; and
- Creating educational videos to raise awareness of pedestrian safety.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and Street Transportation Department.