by Jan Yeckes, Bicycle/Pedestrian Planner, Utah Department of Transportation
from On the Move, Winter (December) Quarter 1998, Volume 11, Number 4
On October 15th, the Utah T² Center brought consultant Charlie Gandy, of Austin, Texas, to the
Salt Lake Valley to conduct a workshop introducing the U.S. Department of Transportation
Pedestrian Safety Roadshow. Nearly 30 people attended, representing eight cities, three health
and safety agencies, two public school districts, and one law enforcement agency in Weber, Davis,
Salt Lake, Utah, Morgan and Summit Counties, as well as representatives of the Office of
Legislative Research, UTA, and state and federal transportation departments.
The workshop, held at the University of Utah Sandy campus, included a photographic slide show
typical of the presentations for community Roadshows, demonstrating "walkability" issues and
pedestrian safety concerns. Participants learned that making a community "walkable" means
encouraging people to walk, as well as accommodating those who already walk. The FHWA
video "Walk!" was shown and copies distributed to participants.
Mr. Gandy introduced the many users of streets and walkways including adult commuters, seniors
and people with disabilities maintaining their independence, children and youth. Some pedestrians
have special needs that impact project design, maintenance, and operations such as timing of
crossing signals or the design of wheelchair ramps.
Each of us is a pedestrian for at least a part of almost every trip we make; yet, "pedestrians" do
not seem to have a voice as a group. A community Pedestrian Safety Roadshow, or Walkable
Communities Workshop, can help to identify engineering and maintenance needs to improve
access and safety for all pedestrians.
Community design standards can affect whether or not people who could be driving cars will
choose to walk. Buildings oriented to street entrances, for example, encourage access by transit
users and pedestrians. Charlie demonstrated with "pictures that spoke a thousand words" the
difference between sidewalks that simply facilitate walking versus those that promote walking.
Street and walkway design can be inviting to people, resulting in economic benefits to businesses
along the walkway and a greater sense of community as people interact on a more personal level.
Design also affects an individual's sense of personal security, influencing his or her decision to
walk. Increased pedestrian activity often results in a safer, more secure community, which further
promotes walking.
The Pedestrian Safety Roadshow pulls together the many citizens and leaders that can be
facilitators of change within a community and sets a course of action for addressing walkability
issues at the local level. Elected officials, city transportation engineers, planners, educators, the
PTA, parks and recreation professionals, law enforcement officers, parents, seniors, citizens with
disabilities, health professionals and students are all people who can work together to identify
walkability problems and potential, to formulate solutions, and to set policies and practices in
motion to make their community walkable.
The Roadshow provides technical assistance, by state and federal transportation staff and
consultants, to organize an action group, to help the group identify walkability issues, and to
formulate a strategy for addressing pedestrian safety within the sponsoring community.
Preparation for a Roadshow includes a walking assessment that will be conducted prior to the
four-hour workshop with the community action group.
For information and assistance in organizing a Pedestrian Safety Roadshow/Walkable
Communities Workshop in your area, contact the Utah Department of Transportation at 801-965-3897, the Utah T² Center at 1-800-822-8878, or the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) at
202-366-7909.
You can also check out the resources available at the FHWA pedestrian web site at http://www.ota.fhwa.dot.gov/walk/.