In 2008, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) started promoting Proven Safety Countermeasures to encourage extensive implementation by state, local and tribal transportation agencies. Their main goal is to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on highways. FHWA strongly encourages transportation agencies around the country to consider the research-proven safety countermeasures. Currently, there are 20 countermeasures that can be implemented to reduce roadway departure, intersection, and bicycle and pedestrian crashes.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has published six videos on FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures that improve pedestrian safety with the main purpose of educating and training viewers on their design features and safety benefits. The videos are prepared for several of the topics featured under the Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP), an innovation initiative under FHWA’s Every Day Counts (EDC) rounds 4 and 5.

The six safety videos prepared by NJDOT are on the following topics:

  1. Leading Pedestrian Interval: Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) typically give a 3 – 7 second head start to pedestrians entering an intersection. LPIs aid in increasing visibility of pedestrians entering an intersection and enforcing their right-of-way.
  2. Walkways: Walkways are any type of defined space for use by people traveling by foot or using a wheelchair, including pedestrian walkways, shared used paths, sidewalks or roadway shoulders.
  3. Pedestrian Crossing Island: Pedestrian Crossing Islands, also known as medians, are raised islands located between opposing traffic lanes and turn lanes. They provide a safe space for pedestrians crossing roadways and allow them to cross one traffic direction at a time.
  4. Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon: Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) is a traffic control device designed to aid pedestrians crossing a street or highway at a marked intersection. Unlike a regular traffic signal, a PHB’s lenses remain dark until a pedestrian activates it.
  5. Road Diet: Road diets also known as lane reduction is the conversion of existing travel lanes for other purposes such as bike lanes, medians or a center two-way left-turn lane. Road diets aid in improving safety, calming traffic, and also provide better mobility and access.
  6. Reduced Left-Turn Conflict Intersection: Reduced left-turn conflict intersections are designs that alter left-turn movements to simplify decisions and minimize potential crashes. Some effective designs that rely on U-turns for left-turn movements are the restricted crossing U-turn and the median U-turn.

For more information and videos please visit: https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/2019/09/27/njdot-safety-countermeasures-videos/

 

Image Source: NJDOT Technology Transfer Program – https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/2019/09/27/njdot-safety-countermeasures-videos/