A critical first step towards improving non-motorist safety is to identify the problem. There are many different safety problems that pedestrians and bicyclist's experience, and a safety countermeasure that works at one location may not address the problem at another location. If the safety problem can be identified, it may be easier to recommend solutions. The FHWA's goal is to develop methods to make it easier to determine the true nature of a pedestrian or bicyclist safety problem and to focus in on the most appropriate countermeasures.

Tools:

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Road Safety Audit Guide and Prompt List (FHWA-SA-20-042)
Provides information on how to conduct an RSA and effectively assess the safety of cyclists. These Guidelines provide an overview of the Road Safety Audit process, as well as an overview of basic safety principles and potential hazards affecting cyclists. Prompt lists are provided to assist RSA team members in considering general issues when performing a BRSA.

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Analysis Tool is a software application intended to assist state and local pedestrian and bicycle coordinators, planners, and engineers in addressing pedestrian and bicyclist crash problems by allowing them to enter and analyze their crash data.

Sample Pedestrian Road Safety Audits
Road Safety Audit (RSA) is the formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent, multidisciplinary team. Road safety audits can be used in any phase of project development from planning and preliminary engineering, design and construction. The pedestrian RSA materials provide more detail on pedestrian safety issues than the traditional RSA.

Resources:

Toolbox of Countermeasures and Their Potential Effectiveness for Pedestrian Crashes
This "toolbox" documents estimates of the crash reduction that might be expected if a specific countermeasure or group of countermeasures is implemented with respect to pedestrian crashes. The crash reduction estimates are presented as Crash Reduction Factors (CRFs). Traffic engineers and other transportation professionals can use the information contained in this toolbox when trying to figure out which countermeasures would be effective in improving safety at a certain type of locations (such as a signalized intersection).

Synthesis of Methods for Estimating Pedestrian and Bicyclist Exposure to Risk at Areawide Levels and on Specific Transportation Facilities (FHWA-SA-17-041)

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon Guide–Recommendations and Case Study (FHWA-SA-14-014):
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) strongly encourages the use of pedestrian hybrid beacons (also known as the High intensity Activated crossWalK (or HAWK)–a pedestrian-activated warning device located on the roadside or on mast arms over midblock pedestrian crossings.  This document expands on the FHWA guidance memo detailed here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/safety/other/proven-safety-countermeasures/ and offers a case study of a location that successfully used PHB to solve a safety problem.

Guide for Maintaining Pedestrian Facilities for Enhanced Safety Research Report
The research report includes a literature review, review of local maintenance programs including discussions with 50 municipalities and state agencies, and an overall assessment of the current practice of pedestrian facility maintenance.

Evaluation of Pedestrian Countermeasures in Three Cities: San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami
FHWA awarded grants to the cities of San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami in 2003 to develop plans for deploying and evaluating various pedestrian safety countermeasures in high crash "zones" and locations. The purpose of the project was to demonstrate how a city could improve pedestrian safety by performing a detailed analysis of its pedestrian crash problem, identifying and evaluating high crash locations, observing factors such as driver and pedestrian behavior, and deploying various lower cost countermeasures tailored to the site. An independent evaluation was also conducted to compare the countermeasure deployment across the three cities.

Pedestrian Countermeasure Policy Best Practice Report (FHWA-SA-11-017)
This report highlights State departments of transportation (DOTs) that have developed policies related to medians, walkways, and shoulders.

Proven Countermeasures for Pedestrian Safety
This article documenting FHWA's promotion of medians/pedestrian refuge areas, sidewalks, and shoulders to increase pedestrian safety was published in the March/April 2012 Edition of Public Roads Magazine.

Safety Benefits of Raised Medians and Pedestrian Refuge Areas–Booklet (FHWA-SA-10-020)
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) strongly encourages the use of raised medians (or refuge areas) in curbed sections of multi-lane roadways in urban and suburban areas, particularly in areas where there are mixtures of a significant number of pedestrians, high volumes of traffic (more than 12,000 vehicles per day) and intermediate or high travel speeds. This document expands on the FHWA guidance memo detailed here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/safety/pedestrian-bicyclist/safety-tools/memorandum-january-12-2012/. Hard copies can be ordered here.

Safety Benefits of Raised Medians and Pedestrian Refuge Areas–Tri-Fold Brochure (FHWA-SA-10-031)
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) strongly encourages the use of raised medians (or refuge areas) in curbed sections of multi-lane roadways in urban and suburban areas, particularly in areas where there are mixtures of a significant number of pedestrians, high volumes of traffic (more than 12,000 vehicles per day) and intermediate or high travel speeds. This document expands on the FHWA guidance memo detailed here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov//safety/pedestrian-bicyclist/safety-tools/memorandum-january-12-2012/. Hard copies can be ordered here.

Safety Benefits of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders–Booklet (FHWA-SA-10-022)
Annually, around 4,500 pedestrians are killed in traffic crashes with motor vehicles in the United States. Pedestrians killed while "walking along the roadway" account for almost 8 percent of these deaths. Many of these tragedies are preventable. Providing walkways separated from the travel lanes could help to prevent up to 88 percent of these "walking along roadway crashes. This document expands on the FHWA guidance memo detailed here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/safety/pedestrian-bicyclist/safety-tools/memorandum-january-12-2012/. Hard copies can be ordered here.

Safety Benefits of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders–Tri-Fold Brochure (FHWA-SA-10-021): Annually, around 4,500 pedestrians are killed in traffic crashes with motor vehicles in the United States. Pedestrians killed while "walking along the roadway" account for almost 8 percent of these deaths. Many of these tragedies are preventable. Providing walkways separated from the travel lanes could help to prevent up to 88 percent of these "walking along roadway crashes. This document expands on the FHWA guidance memo detailed here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/safety/pedestrian-bicyclist/safety-tools/memorandum-january-12-2012/. Hard copies can be ordered here.

State Best Practice Policy for Medians (FHWA-SA-11-019)
This flyer highlights three agencies that have implemented policies and plans that promote the inclusion of raised medians.

State Best Practice Policy for Shoulders and Walkways (FHWA-SA-11-018)
This flyer highlights three agencies that have implemented policies and plans that promote the inclusion of paved shoulders and walkways.