211pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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Pedestrian infrastructure is complemented by effective education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation programs.
Recommendations for programs and activities
were refined based on community input, and
existing programs with a track record of success.
By implementing these strategies, Los Angeles
County can improve mobility, safety, and comfort
for all residents and visitors.
Safe Routes to School assemblies teach children important lessons about being a safe pedestrian.
212 Step by Step
Potential Lead Agency Program Goals
Program Type County Transit Agency Caltrans Sheriffs Dept. NGOs School Districts Program Type Mode Shift Skills Building Info Sharing Awareness + Visibility
Increase Participation
Reduce Conflicts
Improve Saftey
Education Education
Good Road User Behavior Good Road User Behavior
Agency Staff Training Agency Staff Training
Pedestrian Legal Training Pedestrian Legal Training
Pedestrian Curriculum in Schools
Pedestrian Curriculum in Schools
Encouragement Encouragement
Walking Groups + Events Walking Groups + Events
Student Incentives Student Incentives
Employer Incentives Employer Incentives
Support Local Business Support Local Business
Safe Community Spaces Safe Community Spaces
Activated Streets Activated Streets
Help Pedestrians Navigate Help Pedestrians Navigate
Opportunities to Report Problems
Opportunities to Report Problems
Enforcement Enforcement
Partner with Law Enforcement Partner with Law Enforcement
Automated Enforcement Automated Enforcement
Evaluation Evaluation
Crash Analyiss Crash Analyiss
Record Vehicle Speeds + Volumes
Record Vehicle Speeds + Volumes
Monitor Spending Monitor Spending
Count Pedestrians Count Pedestrians
Performance Measures Benchmarks
Performance Measures Benchmarks
Annual Reports Annual Reports
213pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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Potential Lead Agency Program Goals
Program Type Mode Shift Skills Building Info Sharing Awareness + Visibility
Increase Participation
Reduce Conflicts
Improve Saftey
Education
Good Road User Behavior
Agency Staff Training
Pedestrian Legal Training
Pedestrian Curriculum in Schools
Encouragement
Walking Groups + Events
Student Incentives
Employer Incentives
Support Local Business
Safe Community Spaces
Activated Streets
Help Pedestrians Navigate
Opportunities to Report Problems
Enforcement
Partner with Law Enforcement
Automated Enforcement
Evaluation
Crash Analyiss
Record Vehicle Speeds + Volumes
Monitor Spending
Count Pedestrians
Performance Measures Benchmarks
Annual Reports
Program Type County Transit Agency Caltrans Sheriffs Dept. NGOs School Districts
Education
Good Road User Behavior
Agency Staff Training
Pedestrian Legal Training
Pedestrian Curriculum in Schools
Encouragement
Walking Groups + Events
Student Incentives
Employer Incentives
Support Local Business
Safe Community Spaces
Activated Streets
Help Pedestrians Navigate
Opportunities to Report Problems
Enforcement
Partner with Law Enforcement
Automated Enforcement
Evaluation
Crash Analyiss
Record Vehicle Speeds + Volumes
Monitor Spending
Count Pedestrians
Performance Measures Benchmarks
Annual Reports
214 Step by Step
Education programs may need to be designed to
reach different types of audiences or groups at
varying levels of knowledge. Program needs also
need to take into account varied target audiences
such as pre-school age children, elementary
school students, teenage and college students,
workers and commuters, families, retirees, the
elderly, and non-English speakers.
Promote Good Road User Behavior ProgramsThese programs educate road users on how to
abide by local laws, to be courteous to other
road users, and promotes safe behaviors and
actions. They can be targeted at just one mode
(e.g. pedestrians), or at multiple road user types
(e.g. cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians).
Local resources for conducting a public aware-
ness campaign can be maximized by assembling
a group of local experts, law enforcement
officers, business owners, civic leaders, and ded-
icated community volunteers. These allies could
assist with a successful safety campaign with
goals based on the local concerns and issues.
It may be necessary to develop creative strate-
gies for successful media placement in order to
achieve campaign goals.
EXISTING: f Southern California Association of
Governments (SCAG) Go Human Campaign - Go Human is a campaign to encourage
Southern Californians to use human-powered
transportation and change how we think
about others on the road. The campaign
consists of advertising used to promote
traffic safety, along with the development
of new resources and toolkits for cities and
organizations with the support of events
across the region that encourage walking.
The Department of Public Health is an active
partner on this campaign.
EDUCATIONEducation programs are important for teaching safety, rules and laws as well as increasing awareness regarding walking opportunities and existing facilities.
215pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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EXAMPLE: f StreetSmarts was launched by the City
of San Jose. This program utilizes print
media, radio spots, and television ads to
educate people about safe driving, biking,
skateboarding, and walking behavior. More
information: www.getstreetsmarts.org
Provide Agency Staff TrainingPublic agency staff have many opportunities to
contribute to making Los Angeles County a great
place to walk. Internal trainings (e.g. with Public
Works and Sheriff’s departments) can ensure that
staff are fully trained on policies and practices
that the agency aims to institutionalize.
EXAMPLE:
f Pedestrian Transportation Training for Caltrans Staff - Over the years, Caltrans
has provided training to its employees in
a number of different ways. The training
efforts include designing safe and accessible
pedestrian facilities and complete streets.
More information can be found by visiting
the following website: www.railstotrails.org/
resourcehandler.ashx?id=4066
Offer Pedestrian Legal Training Legal training and education allows pedestrians
to learn about their rights and responsibilities
as road users. These programs offer free legal
clinics, legal handouts and guides, and provides
information on state and local laws. This informa-
tion is valuable to all road users by empowering
people and creating an informed community
around important pedestrian laws.
EXAMPLE: f Walk San Francisco offers information to
pedestrians on how they can protect them-
selves and their families, and understand
their legal rights should they become the
victim of a crash. More information can be
found by visiting the following: walksf.org/
resources/pedestrian-rights-and-law/
Include Pedestrian Curriculum at SchoolsSafe Routes to School (SRTS) programs encour-
age children to walk to school safely, and more
often. Particularly, SRTS promotes road user
216 Step by Step
safety, enhance children’s health, improve quality
of life, and creates a new transportation option
for families. These programs require strong
partnerships between schools and community
members by developing a comprehensive Safe
Routes to School program that includes a pedes-
trian safety education curriculum structured for
appropriate grade and age levels. Programs can
be implemented as part of a school-wide, com-
munity-wide, or statewide program. Pedestrian
safety courses or programs will be most effective
with K-3rd grades.
Best practices can be found here: www.saf-
eroutespartnership.org/state/bestpractices/
curriculum
EXISTING: f West Whittier-Los Nietos - The Caltrans
2015 Active Transportation Program recently
awarded the Department of Public Works
funding to make the area around Los Nietos
schools safer for pedestrians. The Los Nietos
School District is committed to implement-
ing other SRTS strategies into its schools.
Last year, Ada S. Nelson, Pioneer High and
Aeolian Elementary School participated
in Walk to School Day, a countywide and
nationwide program that encourages stu-
dents to walk to school on the same day.
f Walnut Park - Academia Moderna Charter
School, Walnut Park Elementary School and
Walnut Park Middle School all have SRTS
programs and have worked to educate
students and parents on alternative ways
to get to school. These schools have held
assemblies and walking events for their
students. Walnut Park Middle School has also
worked to educate parents and drivers by
distributing SRTS information. The Academia
Moderna Charter School’s program was
funded through the YWCA HEAL Program.
217pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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Form Walking Groups + EventsCommunities can organize events that get more
people out walking and interacting with the com-
munity. Block parties, art strolls, walking tours,
and group walks all encourage walking, promote
health and wellness, and instill a sense of com-
munity pride.
EXISTING: f Lake Los Angeles Park Association (LLAPA)
Events – LLAPA is a nonprofit that sup-
ports recreation in Lake Los Angeles. The
Association holds at least one event per
month at Stephen Sorensen Park, which
encourage walking and healthy living. For
example, in 2016, the association held a
Healthy Parks Fair, 3K/5K Run and Walks as
fundraisers, and “Park After Dark” events that
host over 700 participants its first week.
f Community Walking Club Toolkit - The
Department of Public Health has developed
a Toolkit to provide individuals, organizations
and community groups with information on
the health benefits of walking to encourage
ENCOURAGEMENTCommunity residents ranging from young children to the elderly can be encouraged to increase their activity rates and walk more, or try walking instead of driving for short trips.
and promote the use of physical activity in
residents’ daily routines. More information
can be found at: publichealth.lacounty.gov/
ivpp/docs/Toolkit%20KF%206_25%20BW.
EXAMPLE: f Play Streets, New York City – Play Streets
offers a low-cost solution for neighborhoods
and schools to create more space for active
recreation. The program helps neighborhood
organizations and schools identify streets
that can be closed to traffic (for extended
periods of time), to create new outdoor play
spaces. Community Play Streets are spon-
sored by local community organizations, and
operate throughout the summer months,
offering programming such as running
groups, dance classes, yoga and soccer
workshops, and simple equipment like jump
ropes and hula hoops for unstructured play.
The program is designed to create active
spaces for schools with limited or no access
to a gymnasium, multi-purpose space, or
outdoor recreation facilities. More information
is available at: centerforactivedesign.org/
playstreets/
218 Step by Step
Provide Incentives in Schools
GOLDEN SNEAKER CONTEST
Providing incentives help to foster ways of
engaging younger generations with an aware-
ness campaign. Contests present an opportunity
to both challenge and create action in students
or within a work place. The Golden Sneaker
Contest traditionally allowed classrooms to
compete against one another for the highest
rate of students walking, biking, or carpooling
to and from school. The classes track how many
students commute by these modes and cal-
culate the percent of total trips by each mode.
The winner of the contest receives a “golden
sneaker” trophy, along with other incentive
prizes.
A Golden Sneaker Contest can be expanded
from classroom competitions, to intra-school
competitions or district-wide competitions, or
even into the adult workplace office setting.
Some schools/offices hold celebrations for
winning teams/classrooms.
Participation in the Golden Sneaker Contest can
benefit communities by:
f Increasing awareness of walking to school/
work
f Increasing the number of students/workers
who walk to school/ the office
Golden Sneaker Guide: www.saf-
eroutestoschools.org/SR2Simages/
GoldenSneaker-Guide-2010.pdf
MONTHLY WALK AND ROLL DAYS
Walk and Roll to School Days are events to
encourage students to try walking to school. A
popular event of this type is International Walk to
School Day (held in early October). Many commu-
nities have expanded on this once a year event
and hold monthly or weekly events such as Walk
and Roll the First Friday (of every month) or Walk
and Roll Wednesdays (held every Wednesday).
Holding weekly or monthly Walk and Roll to
School Day promotes regular use of active
transportation and helps establish good habits.
219pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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Volunteers can set up a welcome table for
people walking. The welcome table provides
refreshments, incentive prizes, and an interactive
poster letting students document their mode
to school. Walking School Buses and Golden
Sneaker Contests can be organized and pro-
moted on these days.
STUDENT INCENTIVE PROGRAMS
Incentive programs reward students by tracking
the number of times they walk, bicycle, carpool,
or take transit to school. As previously mentioned
contests can be individual, classroom, school-
wide, or interschool competitions, and can be
integrated with other programs like Walk and Roll
to School Days.
Reward Walking with Employer IncentivesLos Angeles County can work to establish a
commute trip reduction program that helps
employers develop incentives. Employer incen-
tives should aim to reduce individuals commuting
by car, and promote walking, transit, vanpool/
carpools, and biking. Workers who use these
modes would be eligible for rewards, discounts
at participating local businesses, and other
incentives through their employer. These pro-
grams reinforce walking as a positive behavior,
while businesses see increased customer loyalty.
Programs also encourage pedestrian- friendly
establishments, and provide the opportunity to
build partnerships with local businesses.
EXAMPLE: f Seattle Commute Trip Reduction – The
Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program
targets workplaces with 100 or more full-
time employees in the most congested
areas of the state. Employers develop and
manage their own programs based on locally
adopted goals for reducing vehicle trips
and miles traveled. More information about
the program can be found at: www.wsdot.
wa.gov/Transit/CTR/overview.htm \
A guide for employers can be found at: www.
seattle.gov/waytogo/docs/FF_WalktoWork_
TrainingGuide_.pdf
220 Step by Step
Support Local BusinessPrograms to support local business can encour-
age walking by creating more appealing
destinations and by helping people get to those
destinations. Business revitalization programs,
for example, work with residents and businesses
in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
They can also provide assistance with a variety
of economic development efforts, including
streetscape improvements. Additionally, Business
Improvement Districts (BID) can serve as partners
in community revitalization and economic devel-
opment. In many communities nationwide, BIDs
have been catalytic in transforming commercial
corridors and driving local economic change.
They assist with services such as maintenance,
public safety, marketing, capital improvements,
beautification, and business development.
Programs that support local business should
be formed through partnerships between the
County (e.g. the Department of Consumer and
Business Affairs), business owners, and commu-
nity advocates.
EXISTING: f Façade renovation program, Walnut
Park – Through the Community Business
Revitalization Program, the Community
Development Commission provides financial
and technical assistance to support business
tenants and property owners. The program
seeks to help beautify business districts
making them more inviting for shoppers
and a source of community pride. Walnut
Park and other unincorporated areas of Los
Angeles County are targeted through this
program.
EXAMPLE: f Crenshaw Corridor Business Improvement
District (BID), South Los Angeles - The
Crenshaw Corridor BID was established in
2003 in an effort to preserve the historic
nature of the commercial district and foster
revitalization. The BIDs goals include increas-
ing building occupancy and lease rates,
encouraging new business development,
and attracting ancillary businesses and
services. The BID also hosts many annual
events and activities for the local Leimert
Park community.
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Provide Safe Community SpacesPrograms that create safe passages and gather-
ing areas encourage more pedestrian activity.
This is particularly useful in areas with high rates
of crime, violence, and nuisance activities. The
County can partner with the Police Department,
community organizations, school districts, and
community stakeholders to support these efforts.
EXISTING: f Parks After Dark (PAD), Los Angeles
County - The Los Angeles County
Department of Parks and Recreation
encourages healthy living and community
connections by extending hours and pro-
gramming at a variety of parks around the
county. This annual PAD program creates a
safe haven for residents at their local parks.
The County has included Hellen Keller Park
in West Athens, Jesse Owens Community
Regional Park just north of Westmont, and
Sorensen Park in Lake Los Angeles in its
PAD Program in past years.
f Safe Passages, Los Angeles County - Safe
Passages is a comprehensive program that
integrates a network of parent volunteers
with the professional efforts of gang violence
interventionists, community-based organi-
zations, businesses, school personnel, and
law enforcement. The program includes
gang interventionists and law enforcement
collaborating with volunteers monitoring
street action before and after school; com-
munity-based organizations and the school
district providing coordination and family
support; and teachers providing safety curric-
ulum in the classroom. There are at least two
community based organizations operating
Safe Passage programs within Westmont/
West Athens, R.A.C.E and A.P.U.U. These
groups have partnered with Community
Coalition to operate a Safe Passage program
around Helen Keller Park on weekdays to
support safe access to the park for recreation
programming.
222 Step by Step
Demonstrate Improvements through Activated Streets Streets can become more interesting by introduc-
ing art, seating, trees and other amenities that
improve the walking experience. Street amenities
that favor walkers send an important message
about the county’s commitment to high quality
places. A program to permit public use of the
street right-of-way, similar to the existing program
for outdoor dining, would create opportunities to
develop community gathering spots and points
of interest on a temporary or permanent basis.
This may range from allowing community groups
to use parking spaces for special events that
activate sidewalk activity, such as the annual
“Park(ing) Day,” to semi-permanent parklets that
replace parking spaces, pedestrian plazas in for-
merly vacant spaces, and decorative crosswalks.
Similarly, open street events temporarily close
the streets to automobiles to allow the public
access for various activities like walking, jogging,
bicycling, skating, dancing, and other social
activities. These events are great at bringing the
community together and promoting transpor-
tation options, placemaking, and public health.
Open street events are also excellent at building
community. They bring together neighborhoods,
businesses, and visitors alike.
EXISTING: f Metro Open Streets Grant Program – This
countywide program funds car-free events
in the region to promote walking, biking,
and riding transit among Los Angeles
County residents. The City of Huntington
Park won an approximately $600,000 grant
from Metro’s Open Streets Grant Program
to hold a multi-jurisdiction CicLAvia open
streets event. The event, held May 15,
2016, closed streets in the unincorporated
communities of Walnut Park and Florence
Firestone, and the cities of Huntington
Park, South Gate, Florence-Firestone,
Lynwood and Angeles to car traffic for
people to walk, bike, skate, and enjoy
their community. More information: www.
metro.net/projects/active-transportation/
metro-open-streets-grant-program.
223pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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f Florence-Firestone/Walnut Park Chamber
of Commerce also holds an annual summer
fest, which closes six blocks of Pacific
Boulevard to traffic in downtown Walnut
Park. The event lasts for four days, and is
an important fundraiser for the Chamber of
Commerce.
EXAMPLES: f People St. Program, City of Los Angeles
- Communities can transform underused
areas of the City’s 7,500 miles of city streets
into active, vibrant, and accessible public
space with People St, a program of the
Department of Transportation (LADOT).
Eligible Community Partners - Business
Improvement Districts, Community Benefit
Districts, Chambers of Commerce, ground-
floor business owners, fronting property
owners, and nonprofit and community-based
organizations – can apply for approval to
create projects that enhance the quality of
life in this city. The Application Cycle features
two innovative types of projects are avail-
able: Plazas and Parklets.
• Plazas- A People St Pedestrian Plaza
creates accessible public open space by
closing a portion of street to vehicular
traffic. A colorful, patterned treatment is
applied to the street surface; while large
planters and other elements define the
Plaza perimeter. The Community Partner
maintains and operates the Plaza, pro-
viding movable tables and chairs, public
programs, and ongoing neighborhood
outreach. People Street Pedestrian Plazas
must remain publicly accessible at all
times.
• Parklet- Parklets introduce new streets-
cape features such as seating, planting,
bicycle parking, or elements of play.
Parklets encourage pedestrian activity by
offering these human-scale “eddies in the
stream,” which is especially beneficial in
areas that lack sufficient sidewalk width
or access to public space. Community
Partners will accept the responsibility for
design, installation, operation, manage-
ment and maintenance of the Parklet.
224 Step by Step
f Creative Crosswalks, Austin, Texas - The
goal of Creative Crosswalks is to work with
the community to install safe, cost efficient
and low-maintenance painted crosswalks
by using a combination of colors, textures,
scoring patterns to liven up an existing
marked crosswalk. To request a creative
crosswalk in a neighborhood or business
district, community members can contact
Austin 3-1-1. Austin 3-1-1 forward requests to
Austin Transportation Department to approve
a design.
Help Pedestrians NavigateWayfinding helps to make local destinations,
such as business districts and public facilities,
more accessible by enabling individuals to:
f easily and successfully find their way to their
destination,
f understand where they are with respect to
other key locations,
f orient themselves in an appropriate direction
with little misunderstanding or stress, and
f discover new places and services
For more information about pedestrian wayfin-
ding systems, please see Chapter 4: Plans and
Procedures.
The Department of Public Works can implement
a program that supports local, community-level
wayfinding, and work with the Department Parks
and Recreation to support the existing trails way-
finding program.
Creative Crosswalk in Austin, TX
225pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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EXAMPLE: f WalkNYC, New York City - WalkNYC way-
finding provides clear visuals, language and
graphic standards that can be universally
understood to encourages walking and
transit usage. Signage provides quality multi-
modal information, and consistent messaging
across a broad range of environments in the
city (see image to right).
Provide Opportunities to Report Problems It is increasingly common for jurisdictions to
create online forms and mobile applications
(apps) that allow community members to report
nuisances that might be a barrier to walking.
Problems might include potholes, illegal
dumping, graffiti and more. Mobile apps can also
provide users with news about road closures and
upcoming events, help users find their nearest
library, utility provider, transit services, and other
city services.
EXISTING: f The Works, Los Angeles County - The
Works offers a one-stop solution for County
residents to report and track services. If
the service is not handled by Los Angeles
County, The Works will provide users with
the appropriate contact information.
226 Step by Step
These programs help educate motorists, bicycle
riders, and pedestrians about the rules and
responsibilities of the road.
Partner with Law Enforcement to Increase VisibilityAn enforcement strategy aims to deter unsafe
behaviors of drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists,
and encourages all road users to obey traffic
laws and share the road safely. Enforcement
complements many transportation programs.
Program options include community enforcement
(pedestrian safety training) or law enforcement
(promoting good road user behaviors). Law
enforcement partnerships are typically focused
on high-collision areas and other vulnerable
populations.
ENFORCEMENTEnforcement programs enforce legal and respectful use of the transportation network.
EXAMPLES: f Fatality Reduction Campaign, Garden
Grove – In response to a nationwide
increase of fatal crashes involving distracted
drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists the
Garden Grove Police Department Accident
Reduction Team was organized as part of a
city campaign. The GGPD-ART reaches out
to commuters through various media outlets,
presentations, and community meetings
to educate the public on the dangers of
not following traffic laws. More informa-
tion: www.ci.garden-grove.ca.us/police/
campaign-to-reduce-fatalities
f Crosswalk Enforcement Program, Chicago - The crosswalk awareness initiatives involve
an off-duty, undercover police officer posing
as a pedestrian crossing at a crosswalk. If
oncoming drivers don’t stop for the pedes-
trian—as required by law—the vehicle will be
pulled over by a police spotter further down
the street. Motorists can face fines for failure
to stop for a pedestrian wwin a crosswalk.
More information: www.cityofchicago.org/
city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/ped/svcs/cross-
walk_enforcementinitiatives.html
227pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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Install Automated EnforcementAutomated enforcement uses cameras to capture
images of vehicles committing traffic violations –
most commonly, speeding and red light running.
Citations are mailed to the vehicle owner.
Automated enforcement is intended to augment
– not replace – traditional traffic enforcement
activities and addresses the public perception
of the risk of "getting caught." The objective is
to deter violators, not to catch them. Signs and
publicity campaigns warn drivers that photo
enforcement is in use.
The high cost of installing automated photo
enforcement cameras should be considered
when the County begins to implement this and
other traffic safety measures.
EXAMPLE: f SFMTA Automated Photo Enforcement
Program – This program is a combined effort
of the SFMTA, which manages program
administration and equipment maintenance,
with support from the San Francisco Police
Department and the San Francisco City
Attorney's Office. The SFMTA's combined
automated photo enforcement, engineering
and education efforts have resulted in a
significant drop in collisions during the past
ten years.
228 Step by Step
Evaluation is a key component of any engi-
neering or programmatic investment. It is also a
useful way to communicate success with elected
officials as well as local residents.
Perform Crash Analysis Crash analysis can help identify system network
issues, such as consistent pedestrian crashes
along major roadways. Systemic safety issues
can be addressed through policy changes, and
implemented through safety improvements
consistently over time. Crash analysis is used to
understand safety issues in specific locations,
such as a particular intersection, and aids in iden-
tifying solutions to improve safety. This analysis
should occur annually, at minimum. The County
can work with transit agencies, school districts,
nonprofits, and community members to form a
task force to lead this effort. The task force would
gather data to optimize the location and selection
of safety improvements.
EVALUATIONEvaluation programs help the County measure how well it is meeting the goals of this Plan and the General Plan.
EXAMPLE: f San Francisco MTA Pedestrian Safety Task
Force – The San Francisco MTA Pedestrian
Safety Task Force is a city staff and stake-
holder meeting held twice a year and open
to the public. The meetings feature steering
committee updates to the entire task force
on the status of the implementation of the
strategy citywide. Areas along high injury
corridors (HIC) and/or in specific supervisorial
districts. It serves as a forum for non-steering
committee agencies and other stakehold-
ers to share pedestrian-related work. The
Task Force requests stakeholder support
for implementation of Pedestrian Strategy
actions and keeps the city accountable to
their commitments to deliver pedestrian
strategies. More information: www.sfmta.
com/about-sfmta/organization/committees/
pedestrian-safety-task-force
229pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
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Record Vehicle Speeds and Traffic Volumes Vehicle speed data is collected to determine the
severity of the problem in areas where residents
or businesses report that speeding is an issue.
The first step is a review of speed data, posted
speed limits, and functional classification of the
roadway. A need for and applicability of traffic
calming measures is then evaluated. To accu-
rately determine speed, detection devices can
be purchased for less than $150, and speeds
are easily recorded by municipal agencies or
concerned citizens. If traffic calming measures
are installed, vehicle speeds should be recorded
again for evaluation.
Traffic counts can help inform decision-making
about potential complete streets. Counts may
indicate that certain roads have excess capac-
ity to accommodate vehicle traffic and allow for
the repurposing of street uses to accommodate
better infrastructure for walking, biking, or transit.
Conducting traffic counts also help identify
roadways with opportunities to reconfigure travel
lanes to include facilities for people walking,
improve traffic flow, and safety for all road users.
EXISTING: f Traffic Counts Program, Los Angeles
County – The County conducts over 1600
vehicular traffic volume counts per year. The
data is a five-year compilation of Average
Daily Traffic (ADT) gathered largely from the
unincorporated areas of the County of Los
Angeles. The data includes the location,
count date, 24-hour ADT, AM Peak, and PM
Peak. More information: dpw.lacounty.gov/tnl/
trafficcounts/
Monitor Spending Evaluation of spending can determine whether
the desired amount of funds is allocated to
pedestrian projects. Municipalities should
monitor how local, regional, state and federal
funds are being spent and assess future need. To
prioritize active transportation, spending should
appropriately match the overall need and growth
of walking as transit modes. Similarly, mainte-
nance funds should exceed the need for repairs
to improve conditions for people who walk. As an
example, if the maintenance backlog for side-
walks is 20 percent of the overall infrastructure
maintenance backlog, then at least 20 percent of
the maintenance budget should be allocated for
sidewalk repairs.
230 Step by Step
Local jurisdictions should report funding on
stand-alone pedestrian improvement projects
as well as infrastructure that is part of larger
roadway redesigns, such as Complete Street
Projects. For these projects, funding for pedes-
trian improvements should be isolated to make
funding analysis easier. Infrastructure that is
required by law as part of larger road projects,
such as ADA-compliant curb ramps and push
buttons, should not be included as separate
pedestrian projects for the funding analysis.
Funding for non-pedestrian infrastructure should
be evaluated to determine whether access and
safety for all users has improved. For example,
when sidewalks are enhanced, but roads are
widened to accommodate more vehicles, the
overall safety and convenience may decline.
Spending on education, encouragement, and
enforcement campaigns for people who walk
should also be evaluated by category for year-
by-year comparisons and benchmarks.
Count the Number of People Walking Understanding where people are walking is
critical to making improvements in local walking
networks. The number of people walking can
be used to evaluate the success of infrastruc-
ture projects, or to make data-based decisions
on where to make improvements. Comparing
numbers seasonally and over multiple years
provides insight on emerging trends. In cases
where demand is questioned, this information
can support the need for improvements. One
way to integrate planning for walking into existing
activities is to conduct pedestrian counts when-
ever vehicles are counted during traffic studies.
Counts can be conducted manually or with
automatic sensors. Manual counts are low-cost,
easy to implement, and can provide additional
data. However, manual counts require significant
volunteer time and do not provide a continual,
24-hour picture of use. Automatic pedestrian
counting technology have advanced rapidly
in recent years and vary considerably in terms
of cost, accuracy, data collection, and ease of
231pedestrian plans for los angeles county unincorporated communities 9 progr ams
draft summer 2017
deployment. It is important to choose counting
devices that are best suited for the type of data
needed (short term or long term) and the site
characteristics where counts will take place.
The County should conduct pedestrian counts
at least twice annually, during different seasons
(e.g., summer and fall) on both weekdays and
weekends.
Establish Performance Measures and Benchmarks Performance measures are quantitative indicators
of a plan’s success. Benchmarks are standards
that set specific goals or targets for a plan.
Performance measures should align with bench-
marks, which should in turn, align with specific
objectives outlined in the plan. As an example,
an objective may be to improve the quantity
of crosswalks. A performance measure would
be the number of high-visibility crosswalks. A
benchmark would be to install 20 high-visibility
crosswalks per year, through 2020.
BENCHMARKS SHOULD BE: f Specific
f Measurable
f Achievable
f Relevant
f Time-based
Benchmarks should have agencies or personnel
assigned to achieve the goal, and a separate
advisory committee to track outcomes for all
objectives. Arranging performance measures,
benchmarks, and the responsible agencies in a
table with a timeline for implementation helps to
monitor progress. More information: www.fhwa.
dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/pub-
lications/performance_measures_guidebook/
pm_guidebook.pdf
232 Step by Step
Identify Progress with Annual Reports Evaluation reports give an overview of progress
towards implementing a community’s goals and
benchmarks for active transportation. Evaluation
reports may include:
f A recap of the community vision for people
who walk
f A description of accomplishments
f An update on performance measures
f Trends and comparisons with peer
communities
f Results and interpretation of the findings
f How the findings will be shared
A summary of the active transportation evalu-
ation report should be adapted to present the
findings to stakeholder groups, advisory com-
mittees, and council meetings. Clear reporting of
failures and successes fosters trust that officials
are following up on objectives.
At the national level, the Alliance for Biking
and Walking Benchmarking Project is a
comprehensive data resource for govern-
ment officials, advocates, and planners to
compare progress between cities or states.
At the local level, many cities produce “report
cards” on walking that are updated annually
or every few years. More information: www.
fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/
pedbike/11039/11039.pdf, www.bikewalkalliance.
org/download-the-2016-benchmarking-report
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