Study on Rapid Flashing Pedestrian Beacons in St. Petersburg

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An uncontrolled mid-block crossing in St. Petersburg
This study was originally published on the website walkinginfo.org, and is republished with permission.  View the original post for more information or to contact the study authors.

 Problem
Multi-lane, high-speed roadways made uncontrolled pedestrian crosswalks unsafe. The motorist yielding compliance rates were less than 2% overall at these crosswalks.

Background
Motorists often fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Many serious pedestrian-vehicle crashes happen at uncontrolled mid-block crossings. When motorists do stop for pedestrians, other motorists sometimes try to pass the stopped motorist. This situation can lead to screening crashes. The City of St. Petersburg, Florida has over 100 uncontrolled crosswalks, and as of 2003 its pedestrian injury rate of 49.23 per 100,000 people was higher than both the county's and the state's rates.

Solution
In 2003, the City of St. Petersburg listed enhancements to uncontrolled crosswalks as a top priority in its CityTrails - Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan.

The same mid-block crossing equipped with
 the four-beacon RRFB system
At that time, a vendor offered to install a new traffic control device, the Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon (RRFB), under crosswalk signs at two uncontrolled crosswalk locations. RRFBs are user-actuated rectangular amber LEDs that produce a wig-wag flash sequence to warn motorists to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. The City agreed to let the vendor install the RRFBs, and it conducted studies at the two crosswalks and analyzed the results.

RRFBs were an attractive alternative to traffic signals and hybrid signals because their cost of $10,000-$15,000 for the purchase and installation of two units was significantly less expensive than other options. The solar power needed to operate the LED beacons also reduced operating costs.

The City, under Permission to Experiment, compared pedestrian crossing compliance of the RRFBs to dual overhead round amber flashing beacons and side-mounted round flashing beacons at the two crosswalks. Both of these round beacons produced disappointing yielding compliance rates of 15.5% for the dual overhead round beacons and 11.5% for the side-mounted round beacons. The City experimented with two-beacon RRFB systems and four-beacon RRFB systems at the same crosswalks, for comparison. Four-beacon systems allowed for the placement of beacons in the center median, which gave motorists traveling on inside lanes of multi-lane roadways a better view of activated beacons. In all cases, there were yield markings at 30 feet in advance of the crosswalks that were used in conjunction with the RRFBs to alert motorists of upcoming crosswalks and to encourage them to stop in advance of the crosswalk to reduce the chance of a screening crash.

Results
The initial success of the RRFBs at the two crosswalks led the City to install 17 more RRFBs and conduct a two-year review of the 19 crosswalks, during which over 16,000 individual crossings were evaluated. As a result of this two-year study, it was determined that RRFBs led to sustained yielding over time. The baseline yielding percentage prior to the installation of RRFBs was 2%. The graph below shows the average yielding compliance results over time at the sites. Please note that the averages at 7, 30, 90, 270, and 365 days used data from all 19 sites, while the average at 60 days was compiled with data from 17 sites, the average at 180 days was compiled with data from 13 sites, and the average at 730 days was compiled with data from 17 sites.

The RRFBs performed equally well at night. One site at 1st Street just south of 37th Avenue North had a yielding percentage of 99.4% at night when using the four-beacon system. The yielding compliance rate was dramatically higher than the baseline nighttime percentage of 4.8%. This increase in yielding percentage at night can probably be attributed to LED lights being very visible at night.
(Graph created using data from Van Houten, R. and J. Shurbutt. Effects of Yellow Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons on Yielding at Multilane Uncontrolled Crosswalks, Report No. FHWA-HRT-10-043, Washington, DC, September 2010) 

The research also showed that the four-beacon system produced a statistically significant increase in motorist yielding compared with the two-beacon system. The average increase in yielding from the baseline to a two-beacon system was 18.2% to 81.2%, while the four-beacon system led to an average increase in yielding of 87.8%. RRFBs improved the yielding distance as well. There was a 9% increase over the baseline in yielding at greater than 30 feet in advance of the crosswalk when using the four-beacon system, and yielding at greater than 100 feet in advance of the crosswalk almost doubled. Greater yielding distances made crosswalks safer for pedestrians because the pedestrians had a better view of approaching vehicles in all oncoming lanes. The increases in yielding percentages and yielding distances also led to fewer vehicles attempting to pass yielding vehicles.

The installation of RRFBs and advance yield markings greatly improved mid-block crossing safety in St. Petersburg. As of May 2012, the City of St. Petersburg had 42 RRFBs with advance yield markings in place with another 20 to 30 scheduled for 2014.


References
Van Houten, R. & Malenfant, J.E.L.. Efficacy of Rectangular-shaped Rapid Flash LED Beacons.
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/interim_approval/ia11/stpetersburgrpt/stpetersburgrpt.pdf

Van Houten, R. and J. Shurbutt. Effects of Yellow Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons on Yielding at Multilane Uncontrolled Crosswalks, Report No. FHWA-HRT-10-043, Washington, DC, September 2010.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/pedbike/10043/10043.pdf

Multiple Projects Launch Implementation of ReImagine Washtenaw

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Head east out of Downtown Ann Arbor along Washtenaw Avenue, and you’re sure to notice some construction activity.  Across from Whole Foods Market, ground-breaking has begun on Arbor Hills Crossing, a 90,000 square feet retail and professional office development in the City of Ann Arbor.   The project includes new and wider sidewalks, a traffic signal and pedestrian crossing at Platt Road, and a new AATA Transit Super Stop.  Continue further east, and you’ll notice the Michigan Department of Transportation has begun a major traffic operations and non-motorized project at US-23.  The non-motorized component of this project includes the construction of new non-motorized paths on both sides of Washtenaw Avenue, which provide a way for pedestrians and bicyclists safe travel under the highway overpass.

“After years of planning and consensus-building, we are excited to see two projects that will significantly enhance walkability and pedestrian access to businesses in this important corridor,” said Ann Arbor City council member Tony Derezinski. “Over time, you’ll see additional improvements that even further increase walkability, provide a sense of place, and also increase property values.”

“The Michigan Department of Transportation is looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the ReImagine Washtenaw initiative, to ensure future improvements address both MDOT’s needs, and also the community’s vision for the corridor,” says Kari Martin, MDOT’s University Region planner.

Multiple projects are being implemented and coordinated between Pittsfield and Ypsilanti Township, including improvement/installation of pedestrian facilities, such as ramps, sidewalks, signals, and mid-block crossings, at Washtenaw and Golfside, zoning changes coordinated between both communities to allow for mixed-use development nodes, and lane reduction and bike lane installation along Golfside Road.

ReImagine Washtenaw is a multi-jurisdictional land use planning and public transit initiative to transform the corridor from auto-focused, to a safe, multi-modal, public transit-enhanced corridor, with new, high-quality mixed-use development, enhanced transit service and amenities, resulting in a corridor with sense of place.  Professional staff planners and elected officials from the Cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti and Pittsfield and Ypsilanti Townships have been leading this effort.  Additional partners, including the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, Michigan Department of Transportation, Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study, are also collaborating to take the county’s most congested and auto-centric road, and turn it in to a high-functioning, multi-modal corridor.

For more information contact Nathan Voght, in the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, at voghtn@ewashtenaw.org or 734-222-3860, or visit www.washtenawavenue.org.

Public Transit Benefits Article on Concentrate

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Local online magazine, Concentrate, recently published an article discussing the health and livability benefits of public transportation. The piece features WATS Director Terri Blackmore, where she details some of the regional strategies to realize these benefits. 

From the article
In recent years, public health planners and leaders have begun to focus on improving transit systems as a community health opportunity. Washtenaw County transit planners have incorporated non-motorized options for several years and recently have begun to collaborate with public health officials on programs like the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study Clean Streets program, and other less formal efforts.

Linking public health with transportation decisions, however, has been a pretty recent development.
...
Read the rest of the article at Concentrate

SEMCOG/MAC Pulse of the Region Survey

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SEMCOG and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition(MAC) are inviting Southeast Michigan residents to comment of the region's transportation system-its roads, bridges, and transit-via an online survey.

In 2012, SEMCOG's local government members will decide on a long-range transportation plan and a list of the highest-priority projects to be funded over the next five years. As the plan is developed, there are many opportunities for input from the public. While SEMCOG and MAC encourage residents to talk to their local officials about priorities in their own communities, this survey will provide input on the regional level.

You can make additional comments via e-mail to InfoCenter@semcog.org, and stay up-to-date by watching SEMCOG's 2040 Regional Transportation Plan Web page for updates on plan development.

Click here to take the survey

USDOT and EPA Finalize New Fuel Efficiency Standards

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This article was orignally featured on the blog of Secretrary of Transportation Ray Lahood.

This is a monumental day for the American people, the U.S. auto industry and the Obama Administration’s efforts to make our cars more efficient. Today, DOT and the Environmental Protection Agency are finalizing national standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for passenger cars and light trucks built in the years 2017 through 2025.

Thanks to their work, the car or light truck you'll be driving in 2025 will not be your grandfather's Oldsmobile. The Administration’s combined fuel economy efforts represent the first meaningful update to fuel efficiency standards in decades. By 2025, the average car will achieve a fuel economy performance equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon, nearly double that of cars on the road today.



This will help American families keep more of their hard-earned paychecks into their pockets and spend less at the pump while still preserving the features and vehicle choices consumers want. In total, the Administration’s national program to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will save consumers more than $1.7 trillion on gas over the lifetime of a 2025 vehicle.

It will also slash U.S. oil consumption by 12 billion barrels, dramatically reducing our reliance on foreign suppliers.

As our cars become more efficient, we spend less money refilling them, we preserve a crucial resource, and we reduce harmful carbon emissions. Consumers have already responded to the Administration's fuel efficiency standards for Model Years 2011 through 2016, and it shows in the popularity of cars like GM's Chevy Cruze and trucks like the Ford F-150 equipped with an EcoBoost engine instead of the conventional V-8.


The American automobile industry wins as well. With today’s rule, we have given American manufacturers the regulatory certainties they need to build efficient cars of all types that consumers want today and in the future. That's why our rule has the support of 13 major automotive manufacturers, who build 90% of the cars sold in the U.S.

We’ve worked with the auto industry--as well as environmental groups, consumer groups and state governments--to develop the rule, so we know that America's carmakers are ready for these new standards. Many of the tools and technologies that will help them comply with these standards already exist, and we expect automakers to develop even more innovative approaches in the future.



Americans will still have the option of buying the kind of vehicle they want--whether it’s a truck, SUV or smaller sedan. At the same time, these new standards will promote innovation and lead to new technologies. And that means even more consumer choices, new jobs, and even new industries.

It also means cleaner air and an opportunity to lessen our role in climate change. As EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said, “The fuel efficiency standards the administration finalized today are another example of how we protect the environment and strengthen the economy at the same time.”

Finally, throughout the rule-making process, safety has remained our guiding principle, and it will continue to be our number one priority. We have concluded that manufacturers can meet these standards without sacrificing vehicle safety.

Simply put, this groundbreaking program will result in vehicles that use less gas, travel farther, and provide more efficiency for consumers than ever before—all while maintaining safety, protecting the air we breathe, and laying the groundwork for automakers to create jobs, develop advanced technologies, and improve quality of life for America's families.

Community Values Survey Results

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Several weeks ago, we approached Washtenaw County residents with a survey to gauge priorities and values regarding local transportation improvements.  Surveys in hand, staff visited local farmers markets, public meetings, and community events. WATS is happy to announce that we collected more than 600 responses.  The map below highlights the number of responants per community.



WATS is working hard to incorporate your feedback into our 2040 Long Range Plan, but we'd like to share some highlights with you here.  Below, you can see two charts showing the primary and preferred travel mode of survey respondants. While the majority of respondants(77.5%) reported using a personal car for their primary transportation mode, a similar majority (72.4%) would prefer alternative means of travel.






















Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete a survey. For more details on the results, visit one of our 2040 Long Range Plan Public Meetings.