Austin Cuts Pedestrian Crashes At 16 Intersections ~50%

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Reducing automobile crashes, accidents, and deaths is a perennial objective in metropolis after metropolis and state after state. Little issues get carried out to assist, generally huge issues, but it surely’s by no means sufficient. It’s usually a case of two steps ahead, two steps again. Nonetheless, the town of Austin appears to be on to one thing — for at the least some downside areas.

At 16 problematic intersections, the town has launched a pilot program by which “quick-build” flip calming infrastructure has been put up.

As everyone knows, if we pull as much as an enormous intersection away from markings and obstacles, we’re inclined to take that flip quicker. Even when there’s a sidewalk there, it may be simple at such intersections to not discover them, as a result of there aren’t queues to tell us {that a} pedestrian could be there. These sorts of infrastructure additions pictured above (crosswalks, coloured bike lanes, pedestrian crossing islands, protected bike lanes) make drivers take into consideration and spot pedestrians and bicyclists.

The outcomes of Austin’s pilot program thus far:

• 46% drop in crashes involving pedestrians at these 16 intersections
• 56% drop in crashes resulting in damage
• 82% drop in annual crash price
• annual crash-related prices (emergency response, medical bills, damages, and so on.) dropping from $3.7 million per yr to $0.7 million per yr.

These are fairly the advantages and financial savings!

That is a part of Austin’s Imaginative and prescient Zero initiative. “This system’s 10-year report, launched earlier this yr, reviewed security tasks throughout Austin. Key findings embody a 38% drop in fatalities and severe accidents at 29 main intersection upgrades,” Neighborhood Impression reviews. “Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Division has added protected left turns at greater than 130 intersections. Moreover, pedestrian crossing islands had been linked to a 27% lower in severe crashes.

“For the reason that adoption of Imaginative and prescient Zero in 2015, Austin has invested greater than $1.3 billion in security and mobility enhancements by means of three voter-approved mobility bonds. These funds have supported a whole bunch of tasks, per the report, together with:

• 29 main intersection enchancment tasks
• Over 500 pedestrian crossings
• 110 miles of All-Ages-and-Talents bicycle services
• Greater than 320 miles of latest or upgraded sidewalks
• Over 600 Secure Routes to Faculty therapies”

Clearly, the return on funding for these sorts of security enhancements is gigantic. It’s superb what a number of good metropolis planners can do.