This month is National Pedestrian Safety Month, and we are excited to share a new research report from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) detailing strategies on how to improve pedestrian safety at night. While walking is an integral mode of active transportation, it is often unsafe to walk in the United States because of the prioritization of car-centric infrastructure, such as high speed limits and multi-lane roads. The rate of pedestrian fatalities per capita in the United States has increased significantly in recent years and is much higher than that of similarly developed nations.
Through extensive studies and research, the authors of “NCHRP Research Report 1157: Strategies to Improve Pedestrian Safety at Night: A Guide” provide the following guidance to improve nighttime pedestrian safety:
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Use proven and promising countermeasures and design principles to retrofit roadways to manage driver speeds during daytime and nighttime conditions and reduce the potential for severe injury to pedestrians. Aim for self-enforcing roadways to the degree possible.
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Incorporate context-sensitive, consistent lighting to help drivers and pedestrians see each other when traveling at night.
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Design convenient, marked pedestrian crosswalks with supportive traffic control devices throughout the roadway system and particularly where pedestrian demand exists, such as at transit stops, schools, areas of high-density housing, and grocery and convenience stores.
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Use automated speed enforcement and ISA wherever possible as a stopgap to manage speed on higher-risk roadways, especially during lower-traffic nighttime conditions. • Employ design and operational countermeasures to mitigate the harms of higher-risk vehicles.
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Encourage policymakers to evaluate and implement policies to mitigate the harms of higher risk vehicles, such as weight taxes and fleet purchasing strategies.
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Explicitly study nighttime safety and incorporate what is learned back into design and policy practice so that the field is continuously improving.
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Work to strengthen the base of the Safe System Pyramid to the degree possible and through support for partner agencies that may be more directly involved in social services. For example, support the provision of network-wide transit and roadway design that is low risk for populations such as those experiencing houselessness or using substances.
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Prioritize investments in communities that lack accessible pedestrian infrastructure to improve safety outcomes among those most likely to be at risk.
For additional details on how to improve nighttime pedestrian safety and to view the full guide, visit the National Academics Press website
Visit the Guides and Toolkits webpage for more resources on promoting safe walking and biking facilities.