TRB Committee on Pedestrians—Research Subcommittee
Summary of Activities for 2010
TRB Pedestrian Committee Meeting—January 2011
Prepared by Bob Schneider
1. SUBCOMMITTEE BACKGROUND
Subcommittee Purpose
The Research Subcommittee has three main responsibilities:
1) Identify pedestrian research needs/topics and develop Pedestrian RNS
The Research Subcommittee is responsible for adding to and modifying the prioritized list of
Pedestrian Research Needs Statements (RNS) for the full TRB Pedestrian Committee. The full
Pedestrian Committee may review and revise subcommittee research recommendations.
2) Find organizations to fund and conduct necessary research and promote the RNS to these organizations
There are a wide variety of organizations that can fund pedestrian research, and they have different constituents and interests
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. The Research Subcommittee seeks to identify RNS that match the interests and resources of different groups.
3) Track previous, ongoing, and upcoming research in a RNS database
The Research Subcommittee tracks pedestrian projects in the TRB Research in Progress
Database as well as other recently-completed, ongoing, and upcoming pedestrian research projects. It maintains a database of these pedestrian research projects that includes the project title, funding organization(s), researcher(s), and timeframe.
Subcommittee History
Between 2001 and 2004, the Pedestrian Research Subcommittee developed 16 Research Needs
Statements. These RNS are included in Transportation Research Circular E-C084: Pedestrians:
Research Problem Statements (2005): http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec084.pdf
.
Between 2005 and 2010, the Subcommittee developed an additional 25 Research Needs
Statements (approximately 14 of these topics are now being funded or researched in some form).
Most of these RNS have been posted in the Online TRB RNS Database: http://rns.trb.org/ and are available on the TRB Pedestrian Committee website: www.walkinginfo.org/trbped .
1 Potential research organizations include: National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), Transit
Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), State DOT research divisions, University planning and engineering departments, University Transportation Centers (UTCs), World Bank, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Office of Safety and Office of Environment and Planning, City and County Agencies, League of Cities, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Agencies, Private sector companies, Non-profit organizations, Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation, AARP, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, etc.
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Current Members
Current members of the Research Subcommittee include:

Robert Schneider, UC Berkeley Department of City and Regional Planning (Research
Subcommittee Chair)

Shawn Turner, Texas Transportation Institute (Full Pedestrian Committee Chair)

Ahmed Al Musawa, Municipality of Abu Dhabi

Ann Do, FHWA Office of Safety

Carl Sundstrom, UNC Highway Safety Research Center

Charlie Zegeer, UNC Highway Safety Research Center

Claudia Piras, University of Cagliari

Dan Gelinne, UNC Highway Safety Research Center

Daniel Rodriguez, UNC Chapel Hill

David Gibson, FHWA R&D

David Guth, Western Michigan University

David Levinger, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Dick Schaffer, Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety Design

Dwight Kingsbury, Florida DOT

Eunyoung Lim, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Frank Markowitz, City of San Francisco

Gabe Rousseau, Federal Highway Administration

Ganesh Karkee, TTI/Texas A&M

George Branyan, DC DOT

George Lu, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Hermanns Steyu, Kittelson & Associates

Holly Krambeck, World Bank

Hyeon-Shic Shin, New York University

Ilona Kastenhofer, Virginia Transportation Research Council

Jake Pauls, Jake Pauls Consulting Services

Janet Barlow, Accessible Design for the Blind

Jared Ye, Montana State University

Jason Kennedy, SAIC

Jean-Michel Auberlet, INRETS

Jeannette Montufar, University of Manitoba

Jeff Peltola, JAHP Consulting

Jim McDonnell, AASHTO

Joe Fish

John Hourdos, University of Minnesota

Karen Giese, PTV America

Karim Ismail, University of British Columbia

Katy Salamati, NCSU-ITRE

Kay Fitzpatrick, Texas Transportation Institute

Kevin Belanger, University of Oregon

Kevin Chang, King County DOT

Lance Dougald, Virginia Transportation Research Council
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
Laura Sandt, UNC Highway Safety Research Center

Lin Lin, University of Washington

Lynn Weigand, IBPI, Portland State University

Martin Guttenplan, Wilbur Smith Associates

Marissa Miano, UNC Highway Safety Research Center

Matthew Ridgway, Fehr & Peers/ITE Pedestrian & Bicycle Council

Meghan Mitman, Fehr & Peers/ITE Pedestrian & Bicycle Council

Mike Cynecki, City of Phoenix, AZ

Mike Monteleone, URS

Nancy Lefler, VHB

Nick Fortey, FHWA

Nicolas Saunier, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal

Paula Reeves, Washington State DOT

Peter Bilton, Voorhees Transportation Center

Ranjit Walia, Voorhees Transportation Center

Ray Derr, National Academy of Sciences, NCHRP

Ray Lewis, West Virginia DOT

Rebecca Sanders, UC Berkeley SafeTREC

Ron Eck, West Virginia University

Ruth Steiner, University of Florida

Sagar Sonar, Multimodes Engineering

Scott Windley, US Access Board

Seleta Reynolds, Fehr & Peers

Sharon O'Connor, Resource Systems Group

Srinivas Pulugurtha, UNC Charlotte

Tarek Sayed, University of British Columbia

Theo Petritsch, Sprinkle Consulting

Thomas Gotschi, UNIZH

Tim Cox, Plastic Safety Systems

Tony Hull, Bike/Walk Twin Cities, Transit for Livable Communities

Winnie Daamen, Delft University of Technology

Yolanda Takesian, Kittleson & Associates, Inc.

Zohra Mutabanna, IBI Group
Subcommittee members include all individuals who participated in any subcommittee activities, such as meetings, conference calls, RNS development, or outreach to potential funding organizations during 2010.
Many thanks to all who contributed to Research Subcommittee activities in 2010!
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2. SUBCOMMITTEE ACTIVITIES IN 2010
2.A. Progress on Pedestrian Research Needs Statements

Lessons learned from successful (funded or supported) Pedestrian Research Needs
Statements o Get specific topics on the agenda of a State DOT (talk to DOT research division members about topics) o Get other subcommittee members to review and help revise the statement o Don’t give up—revise and resubmit each year

Funded/Supported RNS o “Synthesis of Model City/County Ordinances that Support Pedestrian Safety and
Access” (Lead Author: Yolanda T.; Reviewers: Bob S.; Status: Originally developed in 2006; revised 2006-2010; submitted to NCHRP Synthesis Program in February 2010; Funded by NCHRP Synthesis Program as NCHRP Synthesis
20-05/Topic 42-11, “City Ordinances to Support Pedestrian Safety” ) o “Institutional issues blocking pedestrian improvements” (Lead Author: Ilona K.;
Reviewers: Meghan M., Ron E., Joe F., Dick K., and Ruth S.; Status: Submitted to NCHRP through VDOT and AASHTO TCNMT in July; review comments received and response submitted in fall 2009; selected and funded in spring 2010 by NCHRP as NCHRP Project 07-17, “Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation along Existing Roads” ) o FHWA Pedestrian Safety Strategic Research Plan—This was a comprehensive effort to review pedestrian research needs identified through a number of sources, including our TRB Pedestrian Research Subcommittee list of RNSs. The background report and strategic plan document is available on the FHWA website. The plan does not represent a commitment to fund particular research topics, but it indicates priority topics that should be pursued when funding is available. Pedestrian Research Subcommittee topics supported include:
 “A2. Effect of Hand-Held Communication Device Use and Related
Driver and Pedestrian Distraction on Pedestrian Safety” (Lead Authors:
Ron E., Srinivas P.; Reviewers: Mike C., George L., Bob S.)
 “A4. Evaluation of Traffic Control Devices for Older Pedestrians and
People with Disabilities”
 “A6. Understanding Diverse Vision Needs of Pedestrians”
(Lead Author:
David Levinger)
 “A7. Automated Pedestrian/Vehicle Conflict Video Data Collection”
(Lead Authors: Tarek S., Karim I., Nicholas S.; Reviewers: Laura S.,
Nancy L., Lance D.)
 “A8. Evaluation of Automated Pedestrian Detection Technologies”
(Lead Author: Frank M.; Reviewers: George L., David N., Bob S.,
Jeannette M.)
 “B3. Identification of Institutional Barriers to Pedestrian Funding and
Recommended Practices for Using Pedestrian Facility/Safety Funds”
(Lead Author: Ilona K.; Reviewers: Meghan M., Ron E., Joe F., Dick K., and Ruth S.)
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 “C10. Increasing the Safety of Interactions between Pedestrians and
Large Commercial Vehicles (Trucks and Buses) in Urban Areas” (Lead
Author: Jeannette Montufar)
 “D1. Case Studies of Model City/County Ordinances that Support a
Vibrant Pedestrian Network” (Lead Author: Yolanda T.; Reviewers: Bob
S.)
 “D2. Automobile Parking and Pedestrian Safety: A Search for a
Unifying Frame of Reference” (Lead Author: Nicolas S.; Reviewers:
David P., Bob S.)
 “D3. Best Practices for Pedestrian Facility Maintenance” (Lead Author:
Ron E.; Reviewers: Ilona K., Joe F., Mike C.)

RNS submitted to funding organizations
NCHRP Synthesis Program (topics picked in April) o “Best Practices for Pedestrian Facility Maintenance” (Synthesis Statement) (Lead
Author: Ron E.; Reviewers: Ilona K., Joe F., Mike C.; Status: Completed draft in
July 2009; Submitted to NCHRP synthesis program in February 2010; Idea submitted to NCHRP Transportation Planning Needs Webinar, March 2010.)
(Not selected for NCHRP Synthesis Program; Supported by FHWA
Pedestrian Safety Strategic Research Plan) o “Best Practices for Pedestrian Infrastructure Assessment” (Synthesis Statement)
(Joe F.; Reviewers: Ilona K., Holly K; Status: Prepared rough draft in July 2009; revised draft in January 2010 and submitted to NCHRP synthesis program in
February 2010; Idea submitted to NCHRP Transportation Planning Needs
Webinar, March 2010.) (Not selected for NCHRP Synthesis Program)
TCRP Program (topics picked in October) o “Improving the Safety of Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings near Transit Stops”
(Lead author: Stephanie McVey; Reviewers: Robert Schneider, Sagar Sonar, and
Dick Schaefer; Status: Original draft written by Stephanie M. in 2007; revised in
2010 and submitted to TCRP Program in June 2010). (Not selected for TCRP
Synthesis Program) o “Developing Guidelines to Improve Pedestrian Access to Transit Stops” (Lead author: Ilona Kastenhofer; Reviewers: Linda Evans and Dan Roosevelt (Virginia
Transportation Research Council); Status: Submitted to TCRP Program in June
2010). (Not selected for TCRP Synthesis Program) o “Effects of Pedestrian Improvements on Transit Ridership and Customer
Satisfaction” (Lead Author: Joe F.; Reviewers: David L., Dwight K., Holly K.,
Bob S., Ron E., Dick S., Shawn T; Status: Submitted to TCRP in June 2009, but not funded; revised and submitted to TCRP in June 2010.) (Not selected for
TCRP Synthesis Program)
NCHRP Program (large projects) (initial list of topics ranked in October) o “Development of Crash Reduction Factors for Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing
Treatments” (Lead Author: Joe F.; Reviewer: Bob S.; Status: Submitted to
NCHRP process in September 2010) (Ranked #2 on NCHRP Program List) .
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Project is similar to a current FHWA effort to evaluate the safety of certain pedestrian crossing treatments, but it has a more specific focus on Crash
Reduction Factors.
o “Evaluation of Automated Pedestrian Detection Technologies” (Lead Author:
Frank M.; Reviewers: George L., David N., Bob S., Jeannette M.; Status:
Prepared draft in 2008 and revised draft in November 2009. Frank M. integrated the Lu/Noyce RNS into this RNS, and it was resubmitted to NCHRP process in
September 2010.) (Not selected for NCHRP Program, but similar to topic on real-time detection of pedestrians that was ranked #4 on the NCHRP
Program list.
Frank will be coordinating this statement with topic on real-time detection. Revisions to that statement will be done by Eric Glick of the AASHTO
Committee on Non-Motorized Transportation, and Frank M. will contact Eric.
) o Pedestrian project not suggested by our Research Subcommittee: Pedestrian and bicycle volume data was ranked between #15 and #20 on the NCHRP Synthesis
Program List.

RNS in process of development
NCHRP Synthesis Program (topics due in February) o “Best Practices for Pedestrian Facility Maintenance” (Synthesis Statement) (Lead
Author: Ron E.; Reviewers: Ilona K., Joe F., Mike C.; Status: Completed draft in
July 2009; Submitted to NCHRP synthesis program in February 2010, but not selected; Idea submitted to NCHRP Transportation Planning Needs Webinar,
March 2010.) o “Best Practices for Pedestrian Infrastructure Assessment” (Synthesis Statement)
(Joe F.; Reviewers: Ilona K., Holly K; Status: Prepared rough draft in July 2009; revised draft in January 2010 and submitted to NCHRP synthesis program in
February 2010, but not selected; Idea submitted to NCHRP Transportation
Planning Needs Webinar, March 2010.) o “Automobile Parking Lots and Pedestrian and Bicycle Access and Safety” (Lead
Author: Nicolas S.; Reviewers: David P., Bob S.; Status: David P. prepared rough draft in July 2009 that was reviewed by Meghan M., Ron E. and Ilona K.; Nicolas
S. wrote a revised version in August 2010. It may be possible to develop the topic into two different documents—a synthesis of the problem and a research needs statement. The Nicolas S. version will be submitted as a synthesis of the problem.
Potentially submit to State DOTs, FHWA, NHTSA, RWJF, APA, ULI; There is significant interest in this statement because 25 to 30 percent of pedestrian crashes in some communities are in parking lots.) New Reviewers: David L. and Dick S. o “Framework for National Pedestrian Performance Measures” (Lead Author: Bob
S.; Reviewers: Gabe R., Joe F.; Status: Shared with AASHTO Joint Task Force on the Highway Safety Manual and TRB Safety Performance Committee; Plan to submit to NCHRP Synthesis program in 2011; Could be part of a series of research topics: 1) Performance measurement frameworks (possibly different frameworks for collecting/monitoring pedestrian and bicycle volumes that are appropriate at the federal, state, and local levels), 2) Methodologies/technologies for pedestrian and bicycle volume measurement (include studies and guidelines that address the cost-effectiveness of different data collection and monitoring
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methods), 3) Applications of pedestrian volume data (demonstrate specific applications, from developing predictive pedestrian and bicycle volume models to evaluating pedestrian and bicycle safety countermeasures by controlling for exposure); Could also combine this topic with TRB Bicycle Committee and national bicycle performance measures.) New Reviewers: Ilona K., David L., and
Ruth S.
TCRP Synthesis Program (topics due in late March) o
TCRP Program (large projects) (topics due in June) o “Effects of Pedestrian Improvements on Transit Ridership and Customer
Satisfaction” (Lead Author: Joe F.; Reviewers: David L., Dwight K., Holly K.,
Bob S., Ron E., Dick S., Shawn T; Status: Submitted to TCRP in June 2009, but not funded; revised and submitted to TCRP in June 2010, but not selected). o “Developing Guidelines to Improve Pedestrian Access to Transit Stops” (Lead author: Ilona Kastenhofer; Reviewers: Linda Evans and Dan Roosevelt (Virginia
Transportation Research Council; Submitted to TCRP in June 2010, but not selected). New Reviewer: Ruth S. o “Improving the Safety of Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings near Transit Stops”
(Lead author: Stephanie McVey; Reviewers: Robert Schneider, Sagar Sonar, and
Dick Schaefer; Status: Original draft written by Stephanie M. in 2007; revised in
2010 and submitted to TCRP Program in June 2010, but not selected).
NCHRP Program (large projects) (topics due in July to AASHTO Committee) o
Other Organizations (FHWA, RWJF, World Bank, ITE, State DOTs, etc.) o “Development of a National Pedestrian and Bicycle Performance Monitoring
System” (possibly coordinated at the MPO level). This could include 1) annual pedestrian and bicycle counts at consistent locations using consistent methodologies, and 2) total number of bicycle lane and sidewalk miles in the regional transportation system. These are similar measures to what we have today for motor vehicles, but they are essential for having multimodal transportation planning. (Lead author: Bob S.; Status: No draft, but idea submitted to NCHRP
Transportation Planning Needs Webinar, March 2010) New Reviewers: Paula R.,
Dick S., and David L. o “Quantify the Health Benefits of Increased Physical Activity through Walking and Bicycling” (Status: There is some interest in developing this statement from
Laura S., Paula R., and Rebecca S.) Laura S. will lead, and will have assistance from Thomas Gotschi. Topic should build on European HEAT tool for evaluating the health benefits of walking and bicycling, the FDOT Conserve by Ped/Bike, and the future results of NCHRP 07-17. o “Quantify the Benefits of Pedestrian Improvements in Developing Countries”
(There is some interest in developing this statement from Daniel R. and Holly K.) o “Update the ITE Trip Generation Manual so that it provides multimodal trip generation estimates” (e.g., walking, bicycling, transit, as well as automobile).
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While this is being done, there is a need for more detailed understanding of the impacts of travel demand management (TDM) strategies in different land use contexts. For example, how do traffic calming facilities, connections to bicycle lanes and paths, and improved pedestrian facilities near transit stops in the area around a development impact the multimodal trip generation rates? Or, how do shorter building setbacks, shower facilities, and short- or long-term bicycle parking spaces within a development affect multimodal trip generation rates?
These are critical details to include in trip generation guidelines. (Lead author:
Bob S.; Status: Idea submitted to NCHRP Transportation Planning Needs
Webinar, March 2010)
2.B. State DOT survey of pedestrian research priorities (done by Jared Ye)

Jared Ye led the State DOT survey effort. Assistance was also provided by Lance
Dougald (direct contact with Virginia DOT), Tony Hull (direct contact with Minnesota
DOT and Ohio DOT), Meghan Mitman and Bob Schneider (direct contact with Caltrans), and Ilona Kastenhofer (review and comments on survey format).

This survey showed that some DOTs are funding pedestrian research, but many are not.
There may be significant potential to increase the overall amount of pedestrian research being done at the state DOT level.
2.C. Uploaded 2010 RNS into the TRB Research Needs Statements Database and Posted them on the TRB Pedestrian Committee Website
2.D. Modified the Pedestrians Research Needs Statement (RNS) Database

Updated Pedestrian Research Database (Dan Gelinne and Marissa Miano)

Database includes 166 entries (Research topic/title, category, funding organization, researcher(s), year)
2.E. Held three Research Subcommittee conference calls (March, May, and November)
2.F. Will hold a Research Subcommittee Meeting tomorrow at TRB to gather input on pedestrian research topics and strategic approach for 2011 (Tuesday, January 25 th , 8:00 to
9:45 a.m., Marriott, Taylor Room)

Provide updates on progress towards three main goals of Pedestrian Research
Subcommittee: 1) Develop Pedestrian RNS, 2) Submit Pedestrian RNS to Funding
Organizations, and 3) Track Progress on Pedestrian RNS and other Pedestrian Research through the RNS Database.

Discuss State DOT survey and opportunities to submit more Pedestrian RNS to State
DOT research divisions.

Discuss our subcommittee strategic approach for the year. Should we continue to prioritize our existing RNS and target them towards particular funding organizations?
Should we develop a Pedestrian Research Circular that contains all of the pedestrian RNS so that we can post it online and promote it to a wider audience?
3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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More information about the Pedestrian Research Subcommittee is on the TRB Pedestrian
Committee website: www.walkinginfo.org/trbped .
Do you have comments or questions about the work or products of the Pedestrian Research
Subcommittee? Are you interested in joining or helping the Pedestrian Research Subcommittee?
If so, please e-mail Bob Schneider at rschneider@berkeley.edu
.
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