Active Transportation Users

Active transportation users refer to people traveling using human powered activity such as walking, cycling, e-bikes, in-line skates, skateboards, scooters, Segways and assistive mobility devices. Active transportation users are individuals who choose to utilize these modes of transportation in their daily routines, whether it be for commuting to work or school, running errands, or leisure activities. Active transportation users vary in terms of their motivation for choosing this mode of transportation, including environmental concerns, health benefits, cost savings, and convenience. These modes are effective at conserving fuel, reducing vehicle emissions, bridging the first- and last-mile gap, and improving individual and public health.

Active transportation users are considered more vulnerable because they are likely to suffer more serious injuries in the event of a crash with a motorized vehicle. This is because they lack a hard exterior and have a smaller mass compared to motorized vehicles.

The safety of active transportation users is a significant concern. Data from Canada show that in 2019 there were 304 pedestrians killed and 1,383 seriously injured in road crashes; and, 42 cyclists killed and 369 seriously injured.¹ Each year in the United States pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities comprise 19 percent of all traffic fatalities, with approximately 6,000 pedestrian deaths and 850 bicyclist deaths. Another 76,000 pedestrians and 47,000 bicyclists are injured in roadway crashes annually.²

There are a variety of infrastructure-related risk factors that influence the safety of active transportation users, including:

• Wide roads (four lanes or more) which typically have higher vehicle speeds and high volumes

• Wide crossing distances at intersections and midblock locations

• Large turning radii at intersections and driveways that promote higher turning speeds

• Multiple turn lanes at intersections

• Traffic controls that are confusing or complex

• Lack of lighting

• Poor sight distance due to roadway design or obstructions

• A lack of appropriate facilities: Inadequate facilities can result in travel on side of roadway or shoulders, crossing roadways at unexpected locations, and cyclists using the sidewalk.

Several of the risk factors described above result in higher vehicle speeds. There is a direct correlation between higher vehicle speeds and the increase in the risk of injury to active transportation users. It is estimated that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle travelling at 40 mph (65 km/h) is five times more likely to be killed than a pedestrian struck at 20 mph (32 km/h).¹

Older active transportation users have particular risks due to sometimes limited vision and hearing, slower reaction time and decision-making, lower levels of attention, reduced walking speed and other age-related factors.

1 Tefft, B.C. (2011). Impact Speed and a Pedestrian’s Risk of Severe Injury or Death. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Retrieved from: https://aaafoundation.org/impact-speed-pedestrians-risk-severe-injury-death.

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The most important principles for protecting active transportation users are:

Separation from motorized traffic where possible by providing infrastructure that provides physical separation. This includes facilities such as providing sidewalks and separated bike lanes. Temporal separation is also important to consider in order to eliminate or reduce conflicting movements of vehicles and active transportation users. Examples include by providing pedestrian only signal phases, leading pedestrian intervals, and bicycle signals.

Reduced speeds when separation cannot be assured to reduce the risk of crashes and to reduce the severity outcomes when crashes do occur. Lower vehicle speeds increase the likelihood that active transportation users will survive a crash.

Other considerations include:

• Reducing pedestrian crossing distances

• Increasing the visibility of pedestrians including through better lighting

• Alerting drivers in advance to the location of crosswalks

• Developing connected networks of active transportation facilities

There are several guidance documents that discuss infrastructure to protect active transportation users that can be found in the list of tools provided in this module.

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Stakeholders include people who have an interest in policies, programs, or projects and may be affected by their implementation. Engagement with stakeholders is important throughout the planning process, and local authorities should actively seek individuals with disabilities and traditionally underserved or underrepresented populations to include them in discussions about road safety improvements.

Relevant stakeholders for active transportation issues include:

• Residents

• Community organizations

• Law enforcement

• Local engineering department

• Health practitioners

• Public works department

• Provincial/State department of transportation

• Elected officials

• Local business owners

• Media

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The collection and analysis of performance measures allows for an assessment of the current situation and tracking progress. Performance measures also support decision-making related to specific projects and programs to pursue in communities.

What performance measures are relevant depends on the goals identified in a community. The Federal Highway Administration’s Guidebook for Developing Pedestrian and Bicycle Performance Measures identifies different performance measures that can be used to measure an agency’s progress toward improving safety as well as other goal categories such as health and connectivity, including:

It is recommended to engage the public and other stakeholders when selecting which performance measures to adopt to ensure the perspectives and priorities of the entire community are considered. The availability of data and human resources also need to be considered in selection.

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There are several sources of information and tools related to providing a safe environment for active transportation users.

1. FHWA Website on Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety
   The FHWA’s Office of Safety develops projects, programs and materials for use in reducing pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. All of these materials can be found here.

2. How to Develop a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan
   The purpose of this guide is to assist agencies in developing and implementing a safety action plan to improve conditions for bicycling and walking. The plan lays out a vision for improving safety, examining existing conditions, and using a data-driven approach to match safety programs and improvements with demonstrated safety concerns. This guide will help agencies enhance their existing safety programs and activities, including identifying safety concerns and selecting optimal solutions. It will also serve as a reference for improving pedestrian and bicycle safety through a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to safety, including street designs and countermeasures, policies, and behavioural programs.
3. Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
   This website provides information related to pedestrians and bicyclists on automated vehicles, bike share, complete streets, micromobility, e-bikes, equity, connected networks and vision zero. A series of webinars related to pedestrian and bicyclist safety are also hosted.
4. Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System
   The Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System (PEDSAFE) provides practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who walk. The online tools provide the user with a list of possible engineering, education, or enforcement treatments to improve pedestrian safety and/or mobility based on user input about a specific location. No statistical background is necessary to use this tool and selection matrices and countermeasure lists are provided for users without substantive data.
5. Bicycle Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System
   The Bicycle Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System is intended to provide practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who bike. The online tools provide the user with a list of possible engineering, education, or enforcement treatments to improve bicycle safety and/or mobility based on user input about a specific location.
6. FHWA Guidebook for Developing Pedestrian and Bicycle Performance Measures
   This information guide provides guidance to communities for developing performance measures that can fully integrate pedestrian and bicycle considerations into ongoing performance management activities. The guidebook presents various goals and performance measures, organized by the community goals they support – connectivity, economy, environment, equity, health, livability, and safety. The guidebook also presents several transportation measures – accessibility, compliance, demand, infrastructure, mobility, and reliability – associated with each of these community goals. The introductory chapters discuss the need for pedestrian and bicycle performance measures and how agencies apply performance measures in practice. The guide contains a performance measures toolbox section, which presents each of thirty performance measures in a standardized two-page format. Within each brief, the guide discusses the applicability, context, and data needs for each measure, as well as how to track the measure and examples of organizations tracking the measure.
7. Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations
   The Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations was developed to assist state or local transportation agencies in developing a policy or guide to support the installation of countermeasures at uncontrolled pedestrian crossing locations. These are locations where sidewalks or designated walkways intersect a roadway with no traffic control (i.e., traffic signal or STOP sign). It provides guidance to agencies, including best practices for each step involved in selecting countermeasures. The guide includes steps to assist an agency in selecting appropriate countermeasures to help improve pedestrian safety. Following the process in the guide results in possible countermeasure options based on road conditions, crash causes, and pedestrian safety issues. Agencies may use this guide to develop a customized policy or to supplement existing local decision-making guidelines.
8. Bicycle and Pedestrian Data Collection Manual
   This application guide presents a nonmotorized traffic monitoring manual. The manual begins with an overview of the types of collection and site selection for counts. Then the guide presents the various sensors, their strengths and limitations, their costs and uses, and how to use them to conduct short and continuous counts. The manual also discusses manual data collection. Finally, it presents methods and practices for data management and analysis.
9. Transportation Association of Canada Webinar on Safe Bicycle InfrastructureThis webinar provides an overview of TAC’s new publication on the safety performance of bicycle infrastructure in Canada, including key findings related to:

   • The safety performance of different bicycle facility types

   • The factors that affect observed and perceived safety

   • Related data and knowledge gaps

   The webinar also presents a bicycle facility selection flowchart.

10. Transportation Association of Canada Webinar on Vulnerable Road Users
    This webinar shares an overview of pedestrian and cycling safety issues, best practices, and mitigation measures to make streets safer for vulnerable road users.
11. Transportation Association of Canada Webinar on Protected Intersections
    This webinar gives examples of protected intersection designs, discusses the design principles behind them, and shows how those principles have been adapted to different situations.
12. Countermeasures to Improve Pedestrian Safety in Canada
    This report provides an overview of available countermeasures to achieve improved pedestrian safety.

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