Pedestrian Program

Executive Summary

Between 2010 and 2015, there were nearly 1,900 pedestrians involved in traffic crashes in Austin, resulting in 121 fatalities. In addition to these tragic deaths, the serious, often life-altering injuries suffered by people who are involved in these crashes often go unreported in the news headlines. In fact, for every pedestrian fatality in Austin, there are another 10 serious injuries.

Austin’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) serves as a holistic framework for improving citywide pedestrian safety, so that the benefits of a safe and walkable city—from improved public health outcomes, to economic competitiveness, to environmental protection—can be realized for all people in Austin.

Download the Plan

Pedestrian Crash Analysis

Austin Transportation and Public Works staff conducted a year-long analysis of crash data to better understand the causes and consequences of pedestrian crashes in Austin. Key findings from the crash analysis include the following:

Street design has a substantial impact on pedestrian crash severity

• 64% of pedestrian fatalities in Austin occurred on roads with speed limits of 45 mph or greater
• A crash occurring in an area with sidewalks missing on both sides of the street was nearly twice as likely to result in serious injury or fatality as one that occurred at a location with a sidewalk on at least one side of the street
• Crashes occurring over a half mile away from the nearest signalized crossing (i e  traffic signal or pedestrian hybrid beacon) resulted in serious injury or fatality 43% of the time,  compared with only 22% of the time if the crash occurred within one-eighth of a mile of a signal
• The presence of street lighting was associated with an 8 percentage point reduction in the probability that crashes occurring in otherwise dark conditions would result in fatality or serious injury  On average, the further from the street light the more severe the crash.

Six behaviors contribute to most pedestrian crashes

• Failure to Yield
• Distraction/Inattention
• Impairment
• Improper Maneuver
• Speed
• Failure to Stop

Certain demographic groups in Austin are disproportionately affected by pedestrian crashes

• Minority communities, non-English speaking communities, and lower-income communities have higher rates of serious crashes than other groups.
• High-crash Census tracts in Austin were associated with lower car ownership rates, higher transit ridership, and more people walking or biking to work.
• Older pedestrians, males, and those experiencing homelessness are at higher risk of serious injury or fatality as a result of pedestrian crashes

Community Priorities

The Austin community shared their top concerns and priorities regarding pedestrian safety through the PSAP public outreach process, which included 11 Open House meetings across all 10 City Council Districts. Austin residents logged nearly 3,000 comments related to pedestrian safety into the City’s Vision Zero Input Tool. Top concerns included a lack of sidewalks, speeding, and people failing to yield. Austin residents want to prioritize pedestrian safety treatments at areas with high crash histories and near schools, public facilities and transit stops.

Pedestrian Safety Priority Network

As part of the PSAP, ATD developed a new tool – the Pedestrian Safety Priority Network – to help identify and prioritize locations in Austin where pedestrian safety treatments can have the biggest impact. The tool has three components: Crash Scores, Demand Scores and Risk Characteristic Scores.

Action Plan

The Pedestrian Safety Action Plan offers 21 key recommendations in engineering, education, enforcement, evaluation, policy/land use, and partners/funding to improve pedestrian safety in Austin.

Engineering Action Items

1. Establish a Pedestrian Crossing Improvement Program to install large numbers of high-impact, cost-effective pedestrian safety treatments throughout Austin.
2. Develop guidelines for implementing traffic signal modifications to enhance pedestrian priority and safety.
3. Form a working group to recommend strategies to enhance street lighting to improve pedestrian safety.
4. Implement the Sidewalk Master Plan to promote safe pedestrian mobility in Austin.

Education Action Items

1. Develop educational materials on pedestrian safety, focusing on the top contributing factors and crash types, for dissemination to the Austin community and transportation partners.
2. Deploy Vision Zero Street Teams to conduct targeted educational campaigns promoting pedestrian safety.
3. Lead neighborhood walkability audits with Austin residents, businesses, and advocacy groups to identify opportunities to improve neighborhood safety and walkability.

Enforcement Action Items

1. Work with the Austin Police Department to organize enforcement campaigns targeting the top contributing factors and crash types for pedestrian crashes.
2. Identify existing City ordinances and State laws that can be strengthened, and explore potential new regulations needed, to better promote pedestrian safety and priority.
3. Work with the Austin Police Department to develop lesson plans and materials to train law enforcement personnel on pedestrian laws and safety.

Policy and Land Use Action Items

1. Include pedestrian safety and comfort as principal considerations in all City policies governing street and site design.
2. Fund and construct pedestrian safety improvements through the City’s development review process.
3. Develop a Pedestrian Master Plan as a unifying strategy to promote pedestrianism in Austin.
4. Ensure that pedestrian safety is a primary consideration in the promotion and adoption of emerging mobility technologies.

Evaluation Action Items

1. Establish a robust pedestrian counting program to gain a better understanding of walking demand in Austin and to help prioritize pedestrian improvements with limited resources.
2. Regularly update the Pedestrian Safety Priority Network with new data inputs and develop more sophisticated prioritization tools over time.
3. Regularly update pedestrian crash records with detailed crash type information, and work with partner agencies to improve crash record data collection and reporting.
4. Evaluate and report on the effectiveness of existing and newly-installed pedestrian facilities to help inform Austin-specific strategies.

Partners and Funding Action Items

1. Work with partner agencies to identify opportunities to improve pedestrian safety on high-speed roadways not under the City's control.
2. Work with CapMetro to improve pedestrian safety around transit stops.
3. Promote pedestrian safety and seek funding for pedestrian facilities in programs, plans and policies developed in conjunction with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO).