Pedestrian safety is a crucial issue for all Wisconsinites. After all, everybody is a pedestrian some of the time. But for the 31% of state residents who do not drive, including those living with vision loss, pedestrian safety is even more critical—it’s literally a matter of life and death.
There are many measures communities can take to become safer and more welcoming for nondrivers and other pedestrians. Some require significant investment in infrastructural changes. Others mainly require the will and commitment to prioritize pedestrian safety in the community. Here are just a few of the measures that can have a real impact.
Accessible Pedestrian Signals
• Street crossing, especially at unsignalized intersections, is one of the greatest risks faced by travelers with vision loss.
• Accessible pedestrian signals are activated by the pedestrian, giving them some control in a situation where most factors are out of their hands.
• Blinking signals at intersections without a traffic light provide audio and tactile feedback informing the pedestrian that the signal is activated, while flashing lights alert drivers that somebody is attempting to cross the street.
• Accessible pedestrian signals at signalized intersections provide audible information that includes both the street name and whether or not it is safe to begin crossing.
Sidewalks
• The Federal Highway Administration reports that providing sidewalks can help prevent up to 88% of crashes involving pedestrians walking along roadways.
• Sidewalks should be present on both sides of the street. Roadways without sidewalks are more than twice as likely to have pedestrian crashes as locations with sidewalks on both sides.
• Sidewalks connect people and places, providing safer pedestrian routes to the most common destinations.
Curb Ramps
• Curb ramps provide a safe transition from the sidewalk into the street when crossing.
• Correctly placed curb ramps help align the pedestrian with the crosswalk.
• Effective curb ramps contrast in color to the sidewalk and street, and are textured to provide tactile feedback.
• Ramps should be in place at all corners of the intersection.
Budget Items
• Fund traffic calming grants, a $60 million grant program for communities to increase safety measures for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Change state law to allow for Complete Streets, which require pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure be included when building certain types of roads.
• Increase funding for paratransit by 20% in each year of the budget.
You can find more information on the Pedestrian Safety Month and White Cane Safety Day pages of our website, and be sure to check out our Pedestrian Safety Toolkit.