Attachment C <br />Pedestrian safety, a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners <br />BOX 3.2: Assessing pedestrian risk using a road safety audit <br />A road safety audit is a formal systematic road <br />safety assessment or 'checking' of a road or a road <br />scheme (4). The audit is generally conducted by an <br />independent, multidisciplinary team. A pedestrian <br />safety audit can be conducted as part ofthe broader <br />road safety audit. It can also be conducted only for <br />pedestrians. Whatever the scope, the essence of <br />conducting a road safety or pedestrian safety audit <br />is to examine the potential safety issues for any type <br />of road, throughout the construction period, and on <br />completed roads (5). A road safety audit seeks to <br />ensure safety to all users, including pedestrians, by <br />proactively and continuously identifying safety issues <br />and making suggestions on measures and facilities <br />to improve road safety. <br />• Are vulnerable road users separated from motor- <br />ized traffic? <br />• Have pedestrian crossings been designated in <br />such a way that collective use is guaranteed and <br />pedestrians will not cross the road at other points? <br />• Are crossings safe? <br />• Are the pedestrian crossings located where they <br />are most required by pedestrian traffic? <br />• Is there a risk of pedestrian underpasses and <br />bridges being bypassed? <br />• Are crossings over special railway structures of a <br />safe design? <br />• Is two-way visual contact ensured between pedes- <br />trians and motorists? <br />There is no standard method or approach for con- <br />ducting pedestrian or road safety audits but the <br />following questions are key for checking the safety <br />of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, on <br />new projects and existing roads (6): <br />Have the requirements of pedestrians and cyclists <br />been considered? <br />• Have the needs of public transport and its users <br />been taken into consideration? <br />• Are public transport stops planned at intersec- <br />tions? <br />• Are stops easily accessible by pedestrians? <br />• Are further crossing aids required to reach the <br />public transport stops? <br />• Are public transport stops easily recognizable? <br />• Are special measures required for particular <br />groups, e.g. for young people, older people, sick <br />people, physically handicapped, hearing-impaired <br />or blind people? <br />• Is lighting required and, if so, is it appropriately <br />designed? <br />• Is sight obstructed, for example, by safety barri- <br />ers, fences, road equipment, parking areas, traffic <br />signs, landscaping, greenery, bridge abutments, <br />buildings? <br />• Is cyclist routing safely designed in the area near <br />public transport stops? <br />• Have cyclists' requirements been considered (e.g. <br />route across central refuges, bottlenecks)? <br />• Is the transition safely designed if footpaths and <br />cycle paths end on a road or are directed across <br />the road? <br />• Are further crossing aids required? <br />• Are areas for pedestrians and cyclists sufficiently <br />large and wide enough for them to stand and wait <br />before crossing a street? <br />Are the islands clearly visible and of a suitable <br />design? <br />The following eight steps are generally followed in <br />conducting a road safety audit (5): <br />1. Identify a project or an existing road for road safety <br />audit. <br />2. Select a multidisciplinary road safety audit team. <br />3. Conduct a start-up meeting to exchange infor- <br />mation. <br />4. Perform field reviews under various conditions. <br />5. Conduct a road safety analysis and prepare a <br />report of findings. <br />6. Present road safety audit findings to project owner <br />or design team. <br />7. Prepare a formal response. <br />8. Incorporate findings into project when appropriate. <br />Continued. <br />Attach <br />47 <br />B <br />