A worker completes installation of a bike traffic counter device.

The Live Music Capital of the World has one more thing to sing about — its pedestrian and bicycle pathways.

The Austin area is committed to environmental protection and has made great strides in incorporating pedestrian and bicycle traffic into its transportation plans. Travelers using nonmotorized means enjoy scenic paths throughout the area — created with utility and safety in mind, in addition to their visual charms. Though patrons of these pathways see the effort’s success, it can be hard to quantify. Enter the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI).

TTI assisted the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) in examining pedestrian and bicycle pathways. To see if a transportation improvement has actually had a positive effect, you first need baseline data — how many pedestrians and bicyclists used the path before the improvement? After the improvement, you gather data again — has the improvement drawn more users, and was the benefit worth the cost? Figuring out how to gather this information was the job of TTI researchers.

“We gathered data at 15 locations in the Austin area,” says Joan Hudson, TTI associate research engineer. “Using TTI and City of Austin cameras, we took video counts of traffic using the pathways.”

Video counts of traffic, which entail a person watching the video and counting each user, is labor intensive, so the research team also tested and evaluated new equipment for automated traffic counts. Based on these tests, CAMPO purchased two permanent counters and installed them in downtown Austin, allowing for ongoing data collection and analysis.

“We need at least one year of data to begin to identify possible use trends, which include seasonal variations and how traffic fluctuates over the day, week, etc.,” says Hudson. “The permanent counters will give CAMPO important baseline data on how people are using the route and will let the agency forecast future use.”

Workers test the traffic counter equipment by riding a bicycle through the sensor area.

CAMPO also purchased portable counting equipment for use in evaluating areas for prospective improvements, such as adding a shoulder or bike lane to a roadway. Information from counters allows the agency to compare different improvement projects, in addition to later evaluating the success of the project through comparison of before-and-after data. TTI also developed tools to identify missing links in the pedestrian/bicycle network and to forecast usage.

“The forecasting method TTI developed allows us to evaluate projects and their impact on the transportation system,” says Greg Griffin, senior planner with CAMPO. “With the tools TTI has provided, we can get objective data about demand that we can use in combination with public involvement for long-range planning. This is the first step in equalizing the transportation modes.”

Recommended practice yields a desirable project the first time through rather than costly delays due to opposition.

For more information, please contact Rick Davenport at (979) 862-3763 or r-davenport@tamu.edu.

The Wall Street Journal

Sept. 10, 2010, “Deaths in crashes decline amid gains in car safety”

“The focus on engineering and enforcement has taken us to this point,” said Quinn Brackett, a safety researcher with the Texas Transportation Institute. Now, he added, “We need to focus on a paradigm shift away from occupant protection toward crash avoidance.”

Austin-American Statesman

June 13, 2010, “Going, going, going, going green: Impact is multiplied when entire fleets embrace alternative fuels, improved efficiency”

“Due to economic competition and the perpetual drive to reduce operating costs, freight shippers and carriers already have significant incentive to minimize fuel costs and thereby (greenhouse gas) emissions, which are second only to labor costs and increasingly volatile,” said Annie Protopapas, an associate research scientist with the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. “In the long term, they do realize substantial cost savings.”

Reader’s Digest

Oct. 1, 2009, “Unlocking gridlock”

“We can’t get rid of traffic, but we can shorten commutes by operating our roads better ‘ clearing wrecks faster and timing lights more efficiently.”

Tim Lomax,
Texas Transportation Institute

Kansas City Star

Aug. 14, 2010, “Wrecks point up work-zone risks”

About a third of all work-zone crashes in Missouri can be attributed to inattentive driving, and the second-leading contributing factor is following too closely. Both were cited in last week’s bus crash. … “It’s one of the very reasons that it’s hard to guard work zones against serious crashes,” said Gerald Ullman, senior research engineer at the Texas Transportation Institute. “We can put up all the signs we want, and all the bells and whistles,” Ullman said. “What we can’t control is did they see it. That’s why we’re so concerned about distracted driving in work zones.”

The Washington Post

Feb. 7, 2010, “Racking up miles? Maybe not.”

Within a few years, a driver who pulls up to the gas pump may pay two bills with a single swipe of the credit card: one for the gas and the other for each mile driven since the last fill-up. … But getting the public and its elected officials to accept that idea maybe a tough sell. …

“Technology is not the limiter,” said Ginger Goodin, a senior research engineer at the Texas Transportation Institute who did a major study on pricing. “The decision is in the policy arena. It’s entirely up to lawmakers and their constituents.”

The Arizona Republic

Aug. 19, 2010, “HAWK lights to help reduce pedestrian deaths in metro Phoenix”

The Texas Transportation Institute has done two studies of the HAWK (High Intensity Activated Crosswalk) system and found they work. Last year, the institute studied Tucson HAWK lights and found there were 69 percent fewer accidents involving pedestrians and 29 percent fewer crashes overall at the HAWK sites, said Kay Fitzpatrick, a senior research engineer with the institute.

Take a walk down most busy urban streets and you’ll see any number of traffic devices to help keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe — pavement markings, crossing signals and warning signs. What you don’t see is what goes on behind the scenes.

Several traffic safety devices need sensors that can detect pedestrians and bicyclists reliably and accurately. The effectiveness of these safety measures depends on how well the sensors actually work. Recently, researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) developed a real-world test bed to evaluate pedestrian and bicyclist sensors, with funding from the Southwest University Transportation Center.

Intersection-Based Sensors

At some intersections, pedestrians can push a button, which tells the signal controller to provide a walk signal. With accurate sensors, pedestrians wouldn’t even have to do that.

Detecting a pedestrian, the signal controller could give the walk signal and even extend the pedestrian walk time, which would be especially useful for people who walk slower than average, such as the physically disabled and the elderly. The signal controller could also provide an advance warning to pedestrians or motorists of potential conflicts.

TTI Research Engineer Dan Middleton worked on the project with Research Engineer Shawn Turner. “A more important application of the sensors is at places where there are no signals, such as at a crosswalk or unsignalized intersection,” says Middleton. “On a busy street, a pedestrian will wait for a gap. But the longer the pedestrian waits, the more likely he or she is to take more risks and start the crossing in a short gap of traffic.”

At these areas, sensors can trigger flashing beacons to warn motorists that pedestrians are in the crosswalk or intersection. Motorists would have time to slow down and stop for pedestrians, especially in high-speed areas.

Trail Counters

Transportation agencies need data on the number of pedestrians and bicyclists using crosswalks, sidewalks, paths and trails. Traffic counts can tell them the potential crash exposure for a given trail and if the trail needs further safety enhancements.

“If agencies make improvements, they want to be able to show that fewer people are getting injured,” says Turner. “However, once the improvement is in place, more people may be using the trail because they feel safer. Just looking at the number of crashes before and after an improvement can be misleading. We need to look at the crash rate, which accounts for more (or fewer) people crossing the street after the improvement.”

With the current emphasis on promoting alternatives to vehicle travel, especially modes that have less of an impact on the environment, agencies are taking a closer look at including pedestrians and bicyclists in their transportation plans.

“We need to study walking and bicycling in the same way we study vehicles,” says David Ragland, the director of the Traffic Safety Center at the University of California-Berkeley, who is also doing research into the pedestrian and bicycle modes of transportation. “We have a set of requirements in place to measure vehicle volumes, and we need the same for pedestrian and bicycle counts. Those measurements are used for resource allocation, as well as risk assessment and planning.”