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Bicycles/Pedestrians

Safety Toolbox: Programs


In this section:

 

Bicycle-pedestrian coordinator

A designated Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator can coordinate an overall comprehensive pedestrian and bicyclist safety program, and serve as staff liaison to an Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee and school districts. Some cities in the Bay Area, such as San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland, employ multiple staff for bicycle and pedestrian issues. For smaller cities, the responsibilities of the coordinator may only need to be integrated into the responsibilities of an existing position. Many other jurisdictions are able to maintain higher staffing levels by making positions entirely grant-funded.

Safe Routes to School

Many agencies have several pieces of a school safety program that could be brought together to form a more visible, inter-departmental Safe Routes to School Program. The program would encompass all schools within a school district, and would benefit from synergies and economies of scale. Marin County has an excellent and award-winning program: http://www.saferoutestoschools.org/

Junior safety patrol

A cooperative effort between police departments and schools to have fellow students control pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic in and around schools. Police departments provide training, safety lectures, and ongoing enforcement. School staff and parent volunteers could provide direct supervision and support for such a program. The cities of Napa and Fremont have such programs.

Juvenile traffic school program

The City of Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety sponsors a unique program whereby children receiving citations for bicycle infractions (such as wrong-way riding and failure to yield right-of-way) have an option of attending a class on safe riding.

Traffic calming

A program primarily targeted at lowering speeds in and around residential streets. Agencies usually develop minimum criteria for participation based on speed and traffic volumes, then employ staged improvements, starting with the least disruptive measures (enforcement, radar speed trailers) to the most disruptive (speed humps, street closures). Examples: Sunnyvale Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program, San Francisco Traffic Calming Program. General information on traffic calming: ITE Traffic Calming for Communities.

Street Smarts

A public education campaign sponsored by the City of San Jose that targets behaviors of drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, and uses both advertising and a focused community relations effort to bring the messages about the need for behavior change in neighborhoods, schools, and businesses. Specific behaviors that the campaign addresses include: speeding, red light running, stop sign violations, school zone compliance, and crosswalk safety and compliance. Materials developed for the campaign have been designed to be customizable for any agency, and are available for a nominal cost. For more info: San Jose's Street Smarts.