Montgomery County, Maryland’s Pedestrian Safety Initiative: A Data-Driven Approach to Coordinating Engineering, Education, and Enforcement

摘要

Montgomery County, Maryland’s Pedestrian Safety Initiative, introduced in 2007, uses a data driven approach to coordinate engineering, education and enforcement to create a more pedestrian friendly, walkable environment. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) GIS and data analysis of County wide pedestrian crashes from 2004 to 2008 determined 10 areas of high incident pedestrian crashes. Engineering, education, and enforcement programs targeted these 10 High Incidence Areas (HIAs). Pedestrian Road Safety Audits were conducted at the HIAs to determine the most effective engineering improvements for each area. Traffic and pedestrian calming measures were subsequently implemented at these locations. Demographic analysis grouped HIAs together to create more effective education campaigns, and community members were involved to reach a wider audience. Enforcement efforts targeted pedestrians and drivers in the HIAs with warnings and citations for those who violated pedestrian laws. Similar methodology has been used to target HIAs near schools as part of the Initiative’s Safe Routes to School Program. This holistic Three E (Engineering, Education, and Enforcement) approach is continuously being refined to reflect emerging data trends in pedestrian collisions. Between 2009 and 2012, pedestrian collisions in these treated HIAs dropped 43%, pedestrian fatalities countywide dropped 38% from 2008 to 2012, and pedestrian collisions in a subset of the Safe Routes to School areas dropped 79%.