Pedestrian Safety

US Street Design Manual Inches Toward Safer Roads
The guiding document for U.S. road design is starting to recognize the needs of people walking and biking, but safe streets advocates say more significant changes are needed to reduce the high number of pedestrian deaths and improve connectivity for all road users.

20 Safest and Most Dangerous US Cities for Pedestrians
Pedestrian safety is a vital component to a walkable city. Which large cities in the United States have a leg up, and which are trailing behind?

Banning Right Turns on Red Just One Step Toward Vision Zero
Experts caution that blanket bans on right turns on red make only a slight contribution to reducing fatal crashes, and other interventions are needed to bring down traffic fatalities.

Sacramento’s Traffic Safety Crisis Could Be Declared a Public Emergency
Street safety advocates are calling for a stronger declaration that would focus on road design and equity.

St. Louis Zeroing in on Safe Streets
The city is creating its first Department of Transportation and using hundreds of millions in federal funding to launch road safety projects.

Proposed NHTSA Rule Takes Aim at Dangerously Large Trucks and SUVs
Nearly half of pedestrians who died after being hit by the front of a vehicle were struck by SUVs or trucks.

Traffic Deaths Dip for Ninth Straight Quarter
Traffic deaths around the country are showing a slow but steady decline, but fatalities remain above pre-pandemic levels.

Stroads, High Poverty Are Commonalities Between US Counties with High Pedestrian Death Rates
Three-fourths of counties with the highest pedestrian death rates also had persistently high poverty rates, according to a Stateline article.

Austin Completes First Round of Vision Zero Projects
Small, localized interventions such as changes to signal timing and crosswalk improvements are saving lives and improving traffic safety.

Philly Speed Camera Program Cuts Fatalities in Half
Excessive speeding along dangerous segments of Roosevelt Boulevard dropped by 90 percent after the city installed automated enforcement cameras.

Congress Introduces Bill to Limit Size of SUVs and Trucks
Lawmakers want the federal government to set standards for vehicle height and visibility to combat the sharp rise in pedestrian deaths over the past decade.

Pedestrian-Friendly Cities: The Impact of Walkability Grants
Explore how walkability grants are transforming cities into pedestrian-friendly environments, enhancing urban livability, boosting local economies, and improving public health.

California Bill Promotes ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Solutions
The bill is part of an effort to reverse entrenched patterns in traffic engineering and speed up the adoption of safer infrastructure for people walking and biking.

Book Review: Killed By A Traffic Engineer
In a new book, engineering professor Wes Marshall explains why American roads are so unsafe.

San Francisco Officials Call for Citywide Ban on Right Turns on Red
A proposal to prohibit turns on red at some downtown intersections prompted calls for a blanket ban for the entire city.

Austin Adds Pedestrian Improvements at Hundreds of Intersections
The city added leading pedestrian interval technology to over 600 intersections, giving pedestrians time to cross before vehicles.

Moving Beyond Crash Statistics to Understand Road Safety
Why measuring traffic deaths alone doesn’t paint a full picture.

Pedestrian Deaths Would Have Risen Without the Pandemic, Study Shows
The alarming rise in pedestrian deaths across the United States was predicted well before Covid-19 provided more opportunities for dangerous driving behaviors.

Study: Crosswalk Lighting Radically Improves Pedestrian Safety
In what should come as a surprise to no one, drivers are much more likely to yield to pedestrians when they can actually see them.

Traffic Tech is Helping Texas Curb Road Deaths
The state is deploying AI-assisted technology to identify dangerous road segments and improve signal timing.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service