The goal of this project is to change the safety mindset of pedestrian and bicycle road users through education, outreach, mobilization, and increasing safety awareness while honoring and embracing the culture and heritage of each university community. The outcome of our work has resulted in the development of several resources beneficial for use in university departments, student groups and law enforcement. With limited effort, the resources can be modified to fit any university campus.
Key Takeaways:
- Multi-modal approach that enhances traffic safety and improves the quality of life for faculty/employees, students and visitors on campus.
- Serves to reduce motor vehicle related pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and serious injury crashes.
- Improving opportunities for vulnerable roadway user to gain knowledge of traffic safety laws.
Our Approach:
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) identified crash variables that adversely impact pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as crashes and near-miss events that may not be captured in the existing crash data. TTI surveyed stakeholders to gauge personal knowledge of pedestrian and bicycle laws and identify traffic law compliance issues. Information collected was be used to develop targeted educational campaigns that depict at-risk behavior(s) from pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
Additional activities include law enforcement mobilization techniques when increased interaction between motorists and pedestrians/bicyclists occur. Each mobilization activity was used to maximize contact between law enforcement and other traffic safety advocates on campus to encourage compliance with pedestrian and bicycle laws. All mobilization activities promote positive encouragement to comply with laws, educational materials, and opportunities to reward compliance with the law.
TTI used qualitative and quantitative methods to review and assess bicycle/pedestrian laws; review bicycle/pedestrian law-based countermeasures; identify best approaches to mobilize law enforcement efforts to enforce pedestrian/bicycle compliance; and perform education outreach on pedestrian/bicycle laws to at-risk drivers, riders and pedestrians.
Benefits:
The project resulted in changing behaviors related to pedestrian and bicycle safety by engaging students, staff and law enforcement on a large university campus. Unique to this project was the establishment of a university-based advisory council and training for university campuses. Texas campuses, University of Texas – Austin, Texas A&M University and University of Texas San Antonio, may benefit from their university branded educational campaigns and toolkits to target drivers, walkers and bicyclists for years to come.
For more information on this project, please contact:
Troy Walden
TTI Senior Research Scientist and Program Manager
(979) 317-2526
[email protected]
Project Title: Street Coaching for Pedestrians and Cyclists: Putting Laws into Practice on University Campuses
Project Start and End Dates: October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023
Author List: Troy Walden, Emmaline Shields, Myunghoon Ko, Melissa Walden
Sponsor/Funding Source: Texas Department of Transportation