How Effective Are Community Pedestrian Safety Training Workshops? Preliminary Findings from a Program in California

Pedestrians make up a disproportionate share of road deaths and injuries, and low-income, majority person-of-color communities tend to face the greatest danger. Comprehensive pedestrian safety programs targeted toward such communities have the potential to build their capacity to address safety issues, but there is a lack of systematic research and evaluation on how effective these programs are. Using a mixed-methods approach of both surveys and participant observation, we evaluated a community-based pedestrian and bicycle safety program for its effectiveness in providing relevant safety information, building community partnerships, increasing walking and cycling, improving perceptions of pedestrian safety, and planning for additional safety countermeasures. Though the results are preliminary, we found that the program improves participants’ perceptions of the role that social and community events play in pedestrian safety efforts. We also found that the program provides a critical space for community stakeholders to meet, speak a common language about safety, and develop partnerships for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvement efforts. Evidence is accruing that the workshops have beneficial effects on identifying community needs, developing partnerships between stakeholders, and changing perceptions of safety in historically disadvantaged communities.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANF10 Standing Committee on Pedestrians.
• Authors:
  • Barajas, Jesus M
  • 0000-0001-8966-5778
  • Beck, Kate
  • Cooper, Jill F
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 11p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: City planning; Cyclists; Fatalities; Pedestrian safety; Risk assessment; Safety education; Safety programs; Socioeconomic factors; Traffic safety
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01660870
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-03114
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 22 2018 9:16AM