APTA Bus Safety Committee White Paper:
Bus-Pedestrian Collision Countermeasures
The following list of suggested countermeasures is derived from a combination of sources
including: Bus Safety Committee collaboration, industry roundtable shared practices, related
TCRP reports and syntheses, and best practices recognized by APTA’s Bus Safety & Security
Awards program. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a collection of practices,
techniques, and policies that were considered to be effective by their contributor(s), compiled
and offered by the Bus Safety Committee as an industry resource.
Bus-pedestrian collision countermeasures can and should be strategically implemented using a
risk-based approach, the basis for which should be outlined in the agency’s system safety
program plan (SSPP). As the effort to reduce bus-pedestrian collisions develops to incorporate
several functions—operations, human resources, training, safety, information technology, route
planning, etc.— a pedestrian safety plan is needed to drive action, verify results, and move
towards continuous improvement system-wide. It should be directly tied to the agency SSPP, and
as such, should be reviewed annually along with the other components, including a sign-off by
the agency’s chief safety officer.
Other agency documents will be referenced by the plan and may receive additional attention
during efforts to enhance pedestrian safety, including: accident/incident policies and forms,
training curricula and materials, rules and procedures or operator handbook, marketing plans and
policies, and safety certification policies.
Beyond the pedestrian safety plan, the other countermeasures presented are organized in the
following categories: operator selection; training; operating practices and internal agency
campaigns; data analysis; bus and route design and traffic controls; emergency action plans;
innovation and technology; and community outreach. Every effort should be made to involve
all stakeholders when evaluating, designing, and implementing countermeasures. The
management of each transit agency must determine the combination of specific countermeasures
that is appropriate for their operating conditions, stakeholders, and other requirements. No
countermeasure is considered to be a “one size fits all” solution. In many cases, implementing
two or more strategies in combination might make the most sense.
Pedestrian Safety Plan: Policies, procedures, performance measures are recognized
components of the overall safety plan. With a focus on improving pedestrian safety, the
pedestrian safety plan interfaces with hiring practices, operator training, and accident
tracking, trending and reporting, and establishes an ongoing formal process for reviewing and
tracking pedestrian-related hazards in the system.
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Hiring Procedures – use predictive behavioral assessments to identify risk takers
Mentoring program for new operators
Safety Award/Recognition Program
Mandatory Pedestrian Training and refresher training
Implement an Accident Policy that includes pedestrian collisions
Hire Safety & Training Manager
Develop a Driver Risk Management Program (reference Drive Cam program)
Safety Certify fixed routes as part of the planning process; require on-going safety
certification in the event of route modifications
Develop a Route Hazard Analysis (sample found on APTA website under safety
resources page) and adopt a policy for the schedule and criteria of performing route
analyses
Conduct operator compartment ergonomic review/analysis, (seats, mirrors, telescoping
steering wheel, posture, angle of view)
Review agency safety culture
o “Us vs. Them” Culture hindering safety improvements
o Consider management reorganization as a means to expedite change in culture
o 5 S.T.E.P. Turn method strongly encouraged
o Supervisors have a group of operators assigned for direct reporting and coaching
o Open communication of near miss reporting
Collaborative Task Force with police, highway departments, designers, community
groups, bicycle and pedestrian groups
Street Smart campaign (operator focus)
Driver Selection
 Federal Study (2000) – most small to midsize systems have no employment selection
criteria.
 Develop a selection criteria which, at a minimum:
o No Drug/OWI – 5 Years
o No Halfway House Candidates
o B.O.S.S. Evaluation Tool
o No Suspended License/Habitual Offender Driving Record – 3 Years.
 Safer, More Diverse, Healthier Drivers Hired
 Hiring Criteria Key Indicator of Compliance with Federal EEOC & Title VI
Requirements
o Criteria must be job related.
 No national study has shown correlation between non-driving criminal background &
operator safety records.
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Training
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Revamp training – try to create a paradigm shift
Focus on “Inattention Blindness”
Importance of waiting 2 seconds before making turn;
90 degree turn (square it off)
How to turn safely in a configuration with two adjacent turn lanes and in larger
intersections with multiple lanes
“Rock and Roll” technique; include in refresher training and operator safety campaigns
Thorough scanning technique; stress the importance of looking “down and across at both
corners”; “2nd Glance, 2nd Chance”
Define what is truly a blind spot and what is a temporary obstruction
Establish speed control through the turn; enforce a turn speed limit, i.e. 5mph
Do not enter the intersection until it can be cleared by the entire bus
Consider a nationally recognized accident investigation training program (TSI or
vendors) for all supervisors. Make sure that specific pedestrian accident scenarios and
human factors are included in program
Distracted driving/walking part of operator training curriculum; Anticipating Pedestrian
behaviors
Safety Culture initiative
On-going operator skill development by setting up cone patterns in the bus pull out areas
that mimic real situations encountered.
Recurrent training
Training for placement of stop zones and shelters to include pedestrian access and traffic
conditions
Supervisor traffic work zone safety skills
Supervisor observation and counseling skill enhancement
o Increase face to face contacts on the routes
o Teach supervisors how to quiz operators on their performance
Effect of darkness and adverse weather on pedestrian behaviors and driving safety
Simulator training; one agency uses a package that contains 12 different scenarios
involving pedestrians. Custom scenarios can be designed to match actual collisions –
lessons learned
Course can combine classroom, behind-the-wheel, and a field trip to top pedestrian
accident location to raise awareness and give operators a pedestrian’s perspective; allows
operator opportunity to observe behavior of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.
Use of captured video onboard buses as a training and awareness tool
Develop Operating Practices and Internal Agency Campaigns to
Reinforce Training and Desired Performance
 Conduct Monthly Safety Blitzes (pull outs, high incident routes, radar speed checks)
 Conduct Safety Blitz for all operators on left and right turns
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 Initiate Supervisor Ride Check Program- performance evaluation. Train supervisors how
to do it, don’t assume that they know how or that all of them would do it the same way.
 Prepare a left hand turn (LHT) video training module and monitor for effectiveness;
Highlight in refresher training and also make it readily available i.e. in operator lounge
 Identify high incident locations and require operators to honk their horn on turns at these
locations on a rotational basis. Move the horn required location around to each of these
sites in random order. Objective to get operators observant of pedestrians, comfortable
with honking the horn as warning, and highlight the high incident turns so operators
remember and remain vigilant even when not instructed to “blow the turn”. Moving it
around will not drive the residents and businesses crazy if they know it is just a short
safety drill.
 Flyers mailed to Operators’ homes
 Costs of hitting a pedestrian identified and tracked. Use to justify making improvements.
 Post incident and near miss data trends to allow employees to see progress
 Accident damage displays of broken mirrors, bent wheels, direct costs of the incident
 Annually post list of top 10 most dangerous local intersections and/or map with bus
accident locations over past year to increase awareness
 Ghost Rider Program and Covert Ride checks initiated to observe driver behavior
 “Watch for Peds” stickers applied to remind drivers. Often placed in A-pillar, on farebox,
or on phone unit installed on operator’s left side.
 Implement a “5-S.T.E.P program to build awareness and expectation. (Modeled after
Cleveland, Champaign-Urbana, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, UPS.)
 Consider implementing a “mid-turn pause” in areas where higher frequency of near
misses seem to occur.
 Establish/review mandatory turning procedure to include stopping at STOP bar, continual
scanning at intersection, 2-second wait before entering intersection, re-scan crosswalk
before completing turn
 Develop procedure for exiting service stops, “Checking Left-Right-Left”: (1. Check
doorway for clearance; 2. Close doors but keep hand on door control and eyes on
doorway until fully shut; 3. Check central mirror; 4. Check left mirror for traffic; 5.
Check back to right for pedestrians and other hazards that may have come up; 6. Check
left again in mirror and blind spots)
 No Right Turn on Red policy
 Identification of designated “Safety Zones” to modify operational speeds/techniques
 Target identified pedestrian corridors with safety campaigns.
 Hold a “Mirror Clinic” to review mirror placement and adjustment; perform mirror
adjustment training as part of new hire training program
 Establish mirror station in yard where the parked operator should be able to see all traffic
cones
 Perform a “Safety Road Show” at all garages
 Emphasis on pre-revenue safety inspections to ensure vehicle hazards are detected and
resolved prior to entering passenger service (safety certification)
 “Curb your Distractions” TSI Training module; zero-tolerance company-wide distracted
driving policy
 “No Trash on the Dash” campaign and increased enforcement of policy, to reduce items
that could be obstructing operators’ views of pedestrians
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 Identify measures to enhance connection from one bus route to another at a given
intersection, in terms of timing/scheduling and physical conditions. Actual bus stop
placement can add to the problem
 Policy to address not stopping to let passengers on after the bus has left the stop, as a
measure to discourage people from running after a bus.
o While many agencies have such policies, they leave it up to the operator’s
discretion.
o Must go hand-in-hand with operations and efforts to keep buses on schedule.
Data Driven Analysis
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Identification of high risk intersections and routes/corridors
Use of radar guns to verify critical speeds
Regional database to track vehicle-pedestrian-bicyclist collisions, percentage to transit
“Hot spot” tracking
Risk-based approach: Amongst bus-pedestrian collisions that occur at intersections while
bus is turning, 69% involve a left turn, 31% involve a right turn (TCRP R-125)
 Collision data show that operator time on duty plays a role in occurrence of buspedestrian collisions. After 5 hours on duty, the number of incidents almost doubles
(TCRP R-125).
 Analyze and address OTP/schedule adherence at time of incident. Tight or problematic
schedules are reported as a contributing factor in collisions. Operators feel pressured to
stay on schedule and to make up lost time on their runs.
Design of Bus, Bus Routes, Pedestrian/Bikeway/Highway interface,
Traffic Controls
 Design for or designate “Pedestrian Corridors” ; develop partnership with local DOT
 Upgrade traffic control devices with specific pedestrian controls and incorporate
pedestrian phases in high conflict area; i.e. “pedestrian scramble” phase or “leading”.
Evaluate pedestrian crossing signal phases for consistency in performance and
appropriate for location. (count down pedestrian phase vs. no pedestrian signals)
 Dynamic “No Turn On Red” sign, activated by pedestrian push button or infrared
detection
 Specialized Warning Devices
o Beepers
o Audible Announcement System
o Strobe Lights
 Strategies for mitigating collisions with pedestrians when pulling into/away from bus
stop:
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o Tactile strips on the sidewalk near curb to deter standing in bus zone
o Maintain sidewalks and keep them free from obstructions; clear streetscape
“clutter”
o Provide real-time info for bus arrivals
o Install LED beacons to increase visibility of pedestrians waiting at stop
o Solar-powered shelter lights put out a subtle glow rather than a glare, just enough
to light the shelter
o Standee line or markings to delineate where front door of bus will line up, to
reduce pushing at crowded stops
o Bus stop placement
 A stop that is located too close to the roadway provides no positive
separation between pedestrians and vehicular traffic
 A stop that is set back too far for the pedestrian to be seen by the operator
may lead the pedestrian to encroach into the roadway to be more visible
 Install channelization to funnel pedestrians to “safe zone”
 Install bus nubs/bulb-outs- makes pedestrians waiting for the bus more
visible, prevents pedestrians from stepping into the street to be seen, helps
pedestrians cross street safely, and reduces speed of general traffic flow
 Supervise/monitor busy stops where crowding, pushing, roughhousing
known to be a problem
o Near side vs. Far side—A move to far-side bus stop placement may be warranted
to force passengers who have alighted to walk to rear of bus
o Monitoring, relocation, and removal of some bus stops; see Route Hazard
Analysis. Moving or removing a stop may be the acceptable mitigation.
 Initiate a bus stop committee composed of safety representatives and
police officers to regularly review bus stop locations.
 Representation on a safety impact team (SIT)—a collaborative effort among local DOT,
municipalities, public safety, engineers, consultants, and transit agency—tasked with
reviewing roadways or corridors that have been problematic. The SIT prepares
recommendations for short-, medium-, and long-term improvements in the areas of
education, enforcement, and engineering and then work together to implement the
strategies.
BUS CONFIGURATION
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Commitment to repairing/replacing of automatic mirrors.
Additional Turn Alarms/Lights
Consider establishing a mirror design criteria
Consider height adjustable mirror brackets and/or new placement of convex mirrors, i.e.
right A-pillar, left A-pillar, or roof depending on bus
Rotated exterior left mirror 180 degrees
Camera enhanced side vision
Consider S-1 guard for right rear duals
Door safety interlocks on front doors as well as rear
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Retro-reflective marking on buses and shelters
Bus Safety decals
Visors redesigned for better visibility
Increased number of side marker lamps. Retrofit older buses with LED side marker
lamps.
 LED light strip or flashing yellow strobe on top of buses to get the attention of
pedestrians
Develop Emergency Action Plans for Catastrophic Events.
 Temporary restrictions on left turns in core of Downtown. Some effect on riders/ on-time
performance.
 All operators required to honk horn when turning left or right throughout entire
Downtown.
 Union Management Task Force created to build inclusion and ownership into
development and implementation of program changes.
 Expanded accident investigation capacity with specific driver and pedestrian behavior
analysis, positioning and sightline reviews.
 Independent Safety Reviews conducted on specific accidents or program effectiveness
 Media plan developed to provide positive materials on actions being taken to prevent
conflicts as well as how to handle media during pedestrian strikes.
 It is noted that bus-pedestrian collisions, while often catastrophic, are relatively
infrequent. Thus, before-and-after measures of the number of collisions are often an
inappropriate approach. Measures of effectiveness could be near misses, claims, ratings
of success by operators, bus riders, and community stakeholders.
Incorporate Innovation and Technology
 Consider bus signal priority or queue jump technology
 Industry Researched-Based Initiatives
o Cincinnati – 2001 had multiple ped collisions
 Installed cameras on 100% of buses.
 Detailed analysis of ped incidents.
 Innovative video training.
o Washington D.C. – 2006 had multiple fatalities & injuries
 Crosswalk painting
 Street lighting.
 Outreach
 Operators conduct on the ground risk assessments of critical intersections
o Cleveland –ped accidents/fatality (06-08)
 “Talking Bus” ped turning alarms
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 Mirror adjustments.
 Community Outreach Ped Awareness
o Champaign-Urbana – 2 fatalities in 1 year (2004-2005)
 Turning alarms/lights
 Eliminate Left Turns
 Univ. Illinois Student Campaign, including video(s)
Community Outreach: Nearly all transit pedestrian initiatives have included
community outreach. Work collaboratively with other government and community/industry
associations
 Finances obviously limited.
 Target high risk pedestrian groups in driver training and in community outreach (ADA,
youth, seniors, etc)
 Bus Safety community outreach – Walk Defensively, Be Safe – Be Seen, school poster
program, iconic signs at shelters and stations, Pedestrian Safety Awareness program,
Don’t Chase the Bus, “Stay Out of the Zone” etc.
 Engage the public in solicitation of feedback and innovative ideas
o “Best Lit Bike” and “Best Lit Pedestrian” contests, 30-minute lit bike ride around
the city served as example of how “to be seen”
 Partner with local media to promote pedestrian safety awareness
 Encourage City or county to prioritize funding
 Collaborate with Police for enforcement at critical intersections
 Distribute Employer Ped Safety policies to gain their support with employees
 Launch initiative with Public Schools
 Partner with other communities in service area, i.e. Transit 101 for local college
community, as part of incoming freshman orientation
 Apply for pedestrian/bike DOT grants that traditionally are road-oriented
 Collaborate with local bicycle community; “Life Behind the Wheel” clinic offered to
bicycling enthusiasts—allowed bicyclists to sit in bus operator’s seat and experience
what an operator can and cannot see
 Develop student outreach materials to provide to schools and at movie theaters
 Target at risk pedestrian groups such as ADA and elderly with outreach programs
 Develop a “blind spot” awareness campaign for other drivers and pedestrians
 Public outreach videos, can be featured on website, shared via social networking, i.e.
“Safety Slide” awareness video, MARTA
 Spread awareness about the unique mechanics of a turning bus and how it differs from a
car
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Examples of Successful Community Outreach Programs:
Washington DC
Seattle
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Minneapolis Pedestrian Director
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Design Initiatives:
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Data-driven Solutions
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DART Preventable Accidents By Current Fixed Route Operators
Compared to Current Fixed Route Operator Tenure
25.0%
Percentage
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
0-6 6 mo. - 12 mo. 18 mo. 2 yr. - 3 yr. - 4 yr. - 5 yr. - 6 yr. - 7 yr. - 8 yr. - 9 yr. - 10 yr. 11 yr. 12 yr. 13 yr. 14 yr. 15-20 20-25 25-30 >30
mo. 12 mo. - 18 - 24 3 yr. 4 yr. 5 yr. 6 yr. 7 yr. 8 yr. 9 yr. 10 yr. - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15
mo. mo.
yr.
yr.
yr.
yr.
yr.
Operator Tenure
Preventable Accidents
All Current Fixed Route Operators
1100 DART Way, Des Moines, IA 50309
www.ridedart.com
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4.00
3.50
DART Preventable
Accidents Per 100K Miles
3.00
2.50
2.00
DART Preventable
Accidents Per 100K
Miles
1.50
12 per. Mov. Avg.
(DART Preventable
Accidents Per 100K
Miles)
1.00
0.50
Jul-04
Nov-04
Mar-05
Jul-05
Nov-05
Mar-06
Jul-06
Nov-06
Mar-07
Jul-07
Nov-07
Mar-08
Jul-08
Nov-08
Mar-09
Jul-09
Nov-09
Mar-10
-
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Employment Criteria
Criteria
DART
Felony
5 yrs.
or life
DC
1 in 3
yrs/ 2
in 10
yrs.
Minn
NYC
3 yrs
while
driving
Moving
3 in 3
Violations Yrs.
3 yrs rel.
fatality
Acc.
3 in 3
Yrs.
1 in 1, 2
in 2, 3 in
3
OWI
5 yrs.
3 yrs
Susp. Lic.
3 yrs.
3 yrs
3 in 3
yrs.
Austin
Boston
K.C.
7 yrs
10 yr
score
7 yrs –
driving
2 in 5
yrs
5 yr score
7 yrs –
driving
5 yr score
7 yrs
Neg./
reckls
in 10
3 after
7 yrs
1100 DART Way, Des Moines, IA 50309
www.ridedart.com
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“Be Seen. Be Safe.” Campaign, TriMet, Portland
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“Look & See” Campaign, Metro Transit, Minneapolis
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Additional Information Supplied by Specific Agencies:
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Houston – Drivers are counseled about 2 cases of negligence that occurred to their
bus operators as lessons learned. One of these cases was tried as a Homicide
resulting in 2 years jail + 2 years probation
o Smith System training program was updated with pedestrian module
o Safety Culture initiative was implemented with the theme of – Safety is
NOT a priority it is a value!
o The Pull out checklist was modified to allow for collecting data from
audits of bus operator adherence to specific pedestrian counter measures
and the frequency of use.
o Route Hazard Analysis form was developed and is performed by drivers,
supervisors and transit police as it includes security items
o Police Department has a goal to conduct 4000 checks per month
o Ride checks are performed with a goal of 400 per quarter by Safety
Department
o Do 5 Safety blitzes per month
 At pull out and see and talk to each driver
 Safety blitzes on high incident routes
 Radar guns – 10 guns just in Safety Department
o Routes are Safety Certified in the planning phase
o Turning speed is 3 -5 mph per rules and is part of radar checks during
safety blitzes
o Houston has a video of Rock & Roll procedures that is used during
operator training.
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SORTA - Kim Gaffey provided driver training handouts from their pedestrian
avoidance classes
Changes in motor vehicle operation regulations have been made to provide a
“NoRight Turn in Front of Bus” vehicle infraction in cities such as Chicago and
DC.
Metro Transit Minneapolis – “Look & See” campaign (2013 Bus Safety Award
submission)
o Ghost bikes setup around the lot and garage
o “Look & See” stickers placed in blind spot areas on the bus
o Rock n Roll Elvis cutout
o “Curb Your Distractions”
o Outreach, including “Stay Out of the Zone” and “Stay safe/ Don’t
chase” campaigns
o Reaching out to growing bicycle community, including Life Behind
the Wheel clinic and “Patience” training video for operators
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