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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Planning

Overview_How to Get it Started: Safe Routes to School Toolkit

In August 2000, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and Walk Boston, with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), began to develop a national model Safe Routes to School program. To demonstrate the benefits of the Safe Routes to School program, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition recruited nine pilot schools in four locations. Each school received guidance, forms, newsletters, and other promotional materials. A transportation engineer was hired to assist in developing plans to increase safety on routes to school.

Pg 4-41: NCHRP Report 811 Institutionalizing Safety in Transportation Planning Processes

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 811: Institutionalizing Safety in Transportation Planning Processes: Techniques, Tactics, and Strategies provides field-tested guidance on institutionalizing the integration of safety into transportation planning and programming processes. The guidebook also provides ways to measure the effectiveness and success of integration efforts.

Steps to Conduct: Road Safety Audits (RSAs)

A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is the formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent, multidisciplinary team. It qualitatively estimates and reports on potential road safety issues and identifies opportunities for improvements in safety for all road users. The FHWA works with State and local jurisdictions and Tribal Governments to integrate RSAs into the project development process for new roads and intersections, and also encourages RSAs on existing roads and intersections.

https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/planworks/Application/Show/17: PlanWorks

PlanWorks: Better planning. Better projects. is a web resource that supports collaborative decision-making in transportation planning and project development. PlanWorks is built around key decision points in long-range planning, programming, corridor planning, and environmental review. PlanWorks suggests when and how to engage cross-disciplinary partners and stakeholder groups. This system can help build consensus throughout these processes.
PlanWorks has four major components:

Resources: Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System (PEDSAFE)

The Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System is intended to provide practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who walk. The online tools provide the user with a list of possible engineering, education, or enforcement treatments to improve pedestrian safety and/or mobility based on user input about a specific location.