NYMTC Regional Pedestrian Safety Study - New York Metropolitan ...
NYMTC Regional Pedestrian Safety Study - New York Metropolitan ...
NYMTC Regional Pedestrian Safety Study - New York Metropolitan ...
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VI. FUNDING<br />
Funding for pedestrian safety projects came up frequently during the interviews. This section<br />
provides a brief summary of funding strategies and sources.<br />
6.1 Funding Strategies<br />
The new manual, How to Develop a <strong>Pedestrian</strong> <strong>Safety</strong> Action Plan (Zegeer et al., 2006; available<br />
at http://www.walkinginfo.org/pp/howtoguide2006.pdf), suggests four strategies for funding<br />
pedestrian safety improvements:<br />
♦ Routine accommodation in new projects<br />
♦ Partnerships<br />
♦ Dedicated funds and set asides<br />
♦ Annual maintenance budget<br />
Routine accommodation in new projects: Several agencies in the <strong>NYMTC</strong> region are already<br />
doing this as a routine planning measure, and in fact, all roadway and transit projects should be<br />
analyzed for associated pedestrian improvements. Project selection criteria for inclusion in the<br />
TIP could be modified to promote projects that have pedestrian safety components. NYSDOT<br />
has a “<strong>Pedestrian</strong> Generator Checklist” in Chapter 18 the NYSDOT Design Manual for<br />
determining if pedestrian improvements should be made as part of a project. [Available at:<br />
http://www.dot.state.ny.us/cmb/consult/hdmfiles/chapt_18.pdf]<br />
Partnerships: The partnership might be with another public agency or with a private developer.<br />
Possible examples of projects to partner with are utility work along a roadway could or the<br />
construction of a new school. An important partnership that should be considered for many<br />
projects is using NHTSA funds (through the local Traffic <strong>Safety</strong> Board and GTSC) to add<br />
enforcement and education components to engineering projects. Another suggestion is grouping<br />
several small pedestrian improvement projects and including them with a nearby larger project.<br />
Dedicated funds and set asides: NYSDOT, <strong>NYMTC</strong>, or a local government can set up a<br />
dedicated fund or set aside a percentage of a larger fund to be used specifically for pedestrian<br />
safety improvements. NYSDOT Regions typically block out funds for future pedestrian projects<br />
in their 12 year capital programs. A similar possibility is to establish a sidewalk fund with fees<br />
paid by developers in lieu of building sidewalks in their projects. The funds could then be used<br />
for pedestrian facilities where they are most needed. The manual cautions that the dedicated<br />
fund should not be used for routine accommodation in projects.<br />
Annual maintenance budget: Small improvements, such as widening a sidewalk or providing<br />
high visibility crosswalks, can be included during maintenance.<br />
An important strategy for obtaining funding is to develop a sidewalk plan (or sidewalk and<br />
bicycle plan) to identify and prioritize pedestrian infrastructure needs. The plan would provide<br />
<strong>NYMTC</strong> <strong>Pedestrian</strong> <strong>Safety</strong> <strong>Study</strong> 95