Skip to main content

Five Years of Data Show: Our Street Safety Projects are Making a Difference

Five Years of Data Show: Our Street Safety Projects are Making a Difference
By Julia Malmo

Ever wonder about the effectiveness of projects after they go into the ground? Us, too!  

That’s why, in 2017, we launched the Safe Streets Evaluation Program to help project teams understand whether a transportation safety project’s design is effective, and where there might be opportunities to adjust the design if not. Project evaluation data can also be combined across projects to help the SFMTA track the effectiveness of a certain type of safety improvement, which can in turn streamline the design of future projects. The Safe Streets Evaluation Program helps us work towards achieving Vision Zero, an initiative to prioritize street safety and eliminate traffic deaths in San Francisco.  

This week, we’re looking back on five years of data gathered through our Safe Streets Evaluation Program with the “2022 Safe Streets Evaluation Summary,” an interactive website summarizing the results of 18 bicycle, pedestrian and traffic safety projects implemented since 2017. 

Each of the 18 projects evaluated in the summary report added significant safety upgrades to the streets. Some introduced vehicle travel lane removals (road diets), separated bikeways, separated bike signals, or left-turn traffic calming devices. Others brought general improvements for pedestrians at intersections including pedestrian signal improvements, daylighting (red zones at intersections) and upgraded crosswalks. For every project, the SFMTA drew on a wide range of data—from project-specific observations, to police reports, to speed data—to create a comprehensive view into its’ effectiveness. 

An infographic displaying the project names, key design element, and results. In the lefthand column, under “Inventory” the following projects are listed: 7th Street, 8th Street, Folsom Streetscape, Golden Gate Avenue, Leavenworth Street, Turk Street, Central Embarcadero, Valencia Street, 6th Street, Safer Taylor Street, Indiana Street, California Street, Page Street, Fell Street, Polk Street, Second Street, Masonic Avenue, Left-Turn Safety. In the center column, under “toolbox,” the following elements are listed: Road lane reductions, separated bikeways, bike signals, pedestrian upgrades, left-turn traffic safety. In the righthand column, under “results”, the following findings are listed: Collisions decreased by 18%; 85th percentile speeds decreased by 3%; bicycle volumes increased up to 75%; vehicle-bike interactions at signals decreased by 93%; vehicles blocking the bike lane decreased by 90%; pedestrian-vehicle close calls decreased by 38%; vehicle travel time increased an average of 50 seconds for 7.3 miles of road lane reductions; left turn vehicle speeds decreased by 17%

The evaluation report indicates that the SFMTA’s safety tools are working together to create safer environments for all modes of transportation on city streets. 

You can dig into the whole set of outcomes on the website, but here are some highlights:  

  • Within the projects evaluated, annual collision rates decreased by 18%  

  • Bicycle-related collision rates decreased by 33% and pedestrian-related collision rates decreased by 32%   

  • Bicycle volumes on streets that received bicycle improvements increased up to 75% in the morning peak (8 AM to 10 AM) commute times, with similar growth in the afternoon/evening peak (4 PM to 6 PM) commute times.   

  • Thanks to protected bikeways, the rate of incidents of vehicles blocking the bike lane decreased by 90%.   

  • Close calls or near misses between pedestrians and drivers decreased across evaluated projects by 38%.  

  • Several projects in under-served communities such as the Bayview and Tenderloin are helping to address historic inequities and under-investment in these neighborhoods.   A table titled “Aggregate Project Findings Across Evaluated Projects”. At the top of the table, a blue bar lists out the column titles: Measure; Metric; Overall Findings; Capital Findings; Quick-Build Findings. In the Collisions section, the following sub-categories are evaluated. For Annual Collision Rate: Overall findings show an 18% reduction; Capital Findings show a 19% reduction; Quick-Build Findings show a 17% reduction. For Annual Bike-related collision rate: Overall findings show a 33% reduction; Capital findings show a 5% reduction; Quick-Build findings show a 42% reduction. For Annual Pedestrian Related Collision Rates: Overall findings show a 32% reduction; Capital findings show a 50% reduction; Quick-Build findings show a 26% reduction. In the Vehicle Speed section, the following sub-categories are evaluated. For 85th Percentile Speed: Overall findings show a 3% reduction; Capital findings show a 5% reduction, and Quick-Build Findings show a 3% reduction. For Max Speed Change Observed: Overall findings show a 20% reduction, and no data is present for either Capital Findings or Quick-Build Findings. For Vehicle Travel Time/Vehicle Travel Time in Seconds: Overall findings show 50.00; Capital Findings show 221.00; Quick-Build Findings show 21.50. For the Bike Volume section, the following sub-categories are evaluated. For AM Bike Volumes: Overall Findings show a 75% increase; Capital Findings show a 187% increase; Quick-Build findings show a 41% increase. For PM Bike Volumes: Overall Findings show a 72% increase; Capital Findings show a 107% increase; Quick-Build Findings show a 62% increase. In the Bike Signal Interactions and Close Calls section, the following sub-categories are evaluated. For Bike-Vehicle interactions: Overall findings show a 93% reduction; Capital findings show no data; Quick-Build findings show a 93% reduction. For Close Calls (near misses): Overall findings show a 62% reduction; Capital findings show no data; Quick-Build findings show a 62% reduction. For Average Daily Interactions Post-Implementation: Overall Findings show 2.2; Capital Findings show 0.3; Quick-Build Findings show 3.1. For Bike Compliance w/ Bike Signal: Overall findings show 87% compliance; Capital Findings show 86%; Quick-Build Findings show 88% compliance. For Vehicle Compliance w/ No Turn On Red: Overall findings show 90% compliance; Capital Findings show 86% compliance; Quick-Build findings show 92% compliance. In the Blocking the Bikeway section, Rates of Incidents was evaluated. Overall Findings show a 90% reduction; Capital Findings show a 19% reduction; Quick-Build Findings show a 90% reduction. In the Vehicle-Pedestrian Close Calls Section, Close Calls (near misses) were evaluatd. Overall Findings show a 38% reduction; capital findings show a 0% reduction; quick-build findings show a 34% reduction

The Safe Streets Evaluation team will continue to think creatively about how to build on the evaluation work and use it to inform our current and future projects, programs, and practices through developing a publicly accessible database of all Safe Streets Evaluation data and finding better ways to evaluate project outreach efforts. 

View the 2022 Safe Streets Evaluation Summary 

Learn more about the SFMTA Safe Streets Evaluation Program: SFMTA.com\safestreetsevaluation 

 



Published November 08, 2022 at 04:26AM
https://ift.tt/jcWqtYF
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bihar: Stages collapse during Congress rallies in Darbhanga, West Champaran https://ift.tt/37QFnks

The stage on which Congress candidate from Jale assembly seat, Mashkoor Ahmad Usman was addressing a rally broke and collapsed in Bihar's Darbhanga on Thursday. In a similar incident, another stage collapsed and took down party leaders Imran Pratapgarhi and Akhilesh Singh along with several party workers who were on the dias, during a Congress rally at Bagahi Deoraj in Champaran.
Post a Comment
Read more

New Dashboards Give a Window into Muni Service Changes

New Dashboards Give a Window into Muni Service Changes By Kate McCarthy An inspector manages Muni service. New dashboards that help inform changes to Muni service are now live at SFMTA.com/MuniData Many factors inform our decisions about Muni service adjustments. These include making sure changes to service support the SFMTA’s values, which are economic vitality, environmental stewardship, trust and equity. We also evaluate travel patterns. You can now explore these patterns using the new Muni data dashboards  (SFMTA.com/MuniData). When looking at possible Muni service changes, the first thing we do is turn to the Muni Service Equity Strategy for guidance. Using the Muni Service Equity Strategy, we prioritize providing Muni service along routes that more often serve people of color, members of low-income households, and/or those who are dependent upon transit service, including people with disabilities and seniors. We also use ridership data to analyze where riders are boa...
Post a Comment
Read more

India reports first 6 cases of new coronavirus strain after UK returnees test positive https://ift.tt/3pA0T2j

India on Tuesday reported the first six cases of the new coronavirus strain after six people who had returned from the United Kingdom were tested positive for the new UK variant genome. According to the details, the new coronavirus strain cases were reported from Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore. Samples of 3 UK returnees were tested and found positive for the new UK strain in NIMHANS, Bengaluru. The other two cases were tested at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad; while the last case was tested at the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
Post a Comment
Read more

FOX NEWS: Ohio amusement park shut down after multiple fights break out Kings Island in Mason, around 20 miles north of Cincinnati, closed down 30 minutes early Saturday night after several fights among teenagers occurred, reports suggest.

Ohio amusement park shut down after multiple fights break out Kings Island in Mason, around 20 miles north of Cincinnati, closed down 30 minutes early Saturday night after several fights among teenagers occurred, reports suggest. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3wsn8uI
Post a Comment
Read more

PM Modi lauds IFS officers for their work towards serving nation, furthering national interests https://ift.tt/36HoEzw

Greeting Indian Foreign Service officers on IFS day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that their work towards serving the nation and furthering national interests globally are commendable. Their efforts during the Vande Bharat Mission, which was launched to bring Indians home from abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic as international travel came to a halt, and other related help to our citizens and other nations is noteworthy, Modi added.
Post a Comment
Read more

FOX NEWS: Bride's father asks stepdad to help walk her down the aisle in sweet viral moment A selfless gesture by the father of a bride was shared on social media in a viral moment of him surprising the girl’s stepfather by asking him to help walk her to the altar.

Bride's father asks stepdad to help walk her down the aisle in sweet viral moment A selfless gesture by the father of a bride was shared on social media in a viral moment of him surprising the girl’s stepfather by asking him to help walk her to the altar. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/ZkQ1Rpt
Post a Comment
Read more

Better Connections from Bayview and Hunters Point to Downtown

Better Connections from Bayview and Hunters Point to Downtown By Enrique Aguilar To better connect southeast San Franciscans with downtown, the SFMTA debuted the 15 Bayview Hunters-Point Express in late January, coinciding with the return of T Third train service. Within weeks, average daily boardings reached 1,000 customers on this new service. The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express  We added this route based on community feedback from the Southeast Muni Expansion Project in 2018, which prioritized a more direct trip to downtown from the Bayview. With the sudden rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impacts on communities in the Bayview and Hunters Point, fast-tracking the project became critical to our transit planning. Adding service capacity and a direct connection between these neighborhoods and downtown is a crucial step in supporting the City’s economic recovery and increasing job access for essential workers using transit. Using data from the SFMTA Equ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Plan Your Next Golden Gate Park Trip with Muni

Plan Your Next Golden Gate Park Trip with Muni By Eillie Anzilotti   A map of San Francisco showing Muni lines that offer direct service to Golden Gate Park, including: The 18 46th Avenue, the 29 Sunset, the 5 Fulton and 5R Fulton Rapid, the N Judah, the 44 O’Shaughnessy, the 33 Ashbury/18th Street, the 7 Haight/Noriega, the 43 Masonic and the 28 19th Avenue. Around each bus route shown on the map, a red zone shows the range within 1,000 feet of a stop, orange shows within 2,000 feet of a stop, and yellow shows within 3,000 feet. Here’s a fun fact: 70% of San Franciscans are within a 15-minute walk of a transfer-free Muni ride to the largest public space in our city: Golden Gate Park.   Especially as COVID-19 has heightened the importance of outdoor recreation and park access, SFMTA has made efforts to update Muni service to get people to Golden Gate Park. As of now, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

New top story from Time: ‘I Should Be Presumed Innocent.’ Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Criticizes His Arrest

https://ift.tt/342b8VJ Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai said he was arrested on “trumped up” charges, pushing back against landmark national security legislation that has raised questions about press freedoms and the future of the democracy movement. “They’re trumped up. I can’t go further on the details,” Lai said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday morning. “Before any evidence, they just claimed and presumed that I’m guilty. This isn’t the way the law is. I should be presumed innocent. We have never supported the independence of Hong Kong.” He said Hong Kong’s future as Asia’s main financial hub was uncertain if there was no respect for the rule of law under the new security measures. “The future of Hong Kong is the future of any other Chinese city,” he added. “Without the rule of law, the international financial center will be finished.” He added that the law sent a “very negative” message to the business community in Hong Kong and overseas. Lai has ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People

Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People By Robert Lim Have you ever wondered how traffic signals could better balance the needs of all road users, whether driving, bicycling, walking or taking Muni? The SFMTA is rolling out its Connected Corridor Pilot this month to use transit platform and traffic signal sensor data to inform signal timing adjustments. The pilot also aims to collect information to support transit efficiency and street safety improvements.  Traffic engineers use signal timing adjustments as a tool to prioritize the flow of travel in specific directions or for different travel modes – Muni, people walking or driving – to meet the changing demands of the road network across different timepoints in a day. The Connected Corridors Pilot seeks to push the envelope of innovation by investing in advanced technologies, funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant. These tools will better position the city to serve the potential future ne...
Post a Comment
Read more