NYMTC Regional Pedestrian Safety Study - New York Metropolitan ...

also be placed next to the stop line. The crash reduction factor for advanced stop lines is 90
percent when used with a “Stop Here for Pedestrians” sign (NYMTC workshop, 2006).
Improve Visibility of Pedestrians: Retroreflective materials are required for roadway markings
such as crosswalks, stop lines, and lane markings. These materials reflect light from vehicle
headlights and from roadway illumination using specially designed glass beads. Vests and other
clothing for pedestrians have also been made with reflective materials. Studies have found that
wearing retroreflective clothing can increase the visibility of a pedestrian by a factor of five.
However, some retroreflective clothing can lose its reflective properties after repeated washings.
Retroreflective material has been used on shoes, backpacks, jackets, and other clothing.
In a later 1994 study, Owens et al. (1994) conducted an experiment in which retroreflective
materials were placed on different body locations. They found that pedestrians wearing reflective
materials on knees, waist, elbows, and shoulders were seen more readily and the motion of
pedestrians wearing reflective materials were more readily interpreted as human motion.
5.2.6 Other Measures
There are other measures that do not fit neatly into the above categories, which primarily address
the street and sidewalk environment. Parking lots are the location of a substantial number of
pedestrian-vehicle collisions, and transit access is a major generator of pedestrians and has its
own pedestrian safety issues.
Parking Lots: One of the characteristics of parking lots that adds to their safety deficit is the
tendency of drivers to take the shortest route to where they are going. Because of the lower
speeds, many drivers do not follow the lanes and aisles, but proceed diagonally through the lot;
as a result, they many approach a pedestrian from an unexpected direction. The use of raised
islands in parking lots could help to channel the traffic into the intended lanes, rationalize the
flow, and control speed.
Transit: Transit needs good pedestrian access to its facilities. An isolated bus stop sign on the
side of the road does not promote transit. Sidewalks should be wide enough to provide space for
pedestrian waiting, boarding and passing, as well as to accommodate bus wheelchair lifts. The
pedestrian path, including crosswalks, should be continuous to the “trip generator” whether it is a
nearby development or mall across four-lane arterial. For each round trip, the pedestrian needs
to cross the street at least once.
A common issue is the location of the bus stop, nearside or farside. Farside is generally
preferred because bus driver can pull across the intersection before the traffic signal turns red;
nearside may require the bus to wait an extra signal cycle. But more importantly for pedestrian
safety, a farside bus stop ensures that pedestrians cross behind the bus. By placing the crosswalk
behind the bus stop, the bus can pull forward and pedestrians can cross the street. This avoids
two types of crashes: One, multiple threat crashes, in which pedestrians crossing in front of the
bus are hidden from or cannot see approaching traffic; and two, passenger-bus collisions, in
which the passenger is hit by bus as it pulls forwards.
NYMTC Pedestrian Safety Study 85