Implementing pedestrian safety interventions <br />Attachment C <br />Attachment B <br />BOX 4.5: Traffic-calming measures in Zhaitang Town, China <br />In China, pedestrians constituted the second largest <br />group (25%) of those killed in road traffic crashes <br />in 2010 (25). Growth of the economy, increasing <br />urbanization and growth of motorized traffic are <br />underlying factors leading to the increase in travel, <br />and traffic situations that lead to pedestrian-vehicle <br />conflicts in China (7). Traffic law violation and inad- <br />equate enforcement also contribute to the risks <br />facing pedestrians (26). Various provinces and cities <br />in China are implementing measures to improve <br />pedestrian safety. <br />In Zhaitang town in the Mentougou district, Beijing <br />region, the authorities implemented pilot traffic- <br />calming measures on six roads in 2008 (27). The <br />measures were aimed at reducing speed and improv- <br />ing safety and conditions of travel for non-motorized <br />transport users, and consisted of speed humps, <br />raised crosswalks, raised intersections, speed cush- <br />ions, roundabouts, chicanes, neckdowns,2 centre <br />island narrowing, lateral shifts, median diverters, <br />boom barrier and pedestrian refuge islands. <br />A before-and-after evaluation conducted in October <br />2009 showed that these interventions had an impact <br />on three aspects of road safety (27): <br />• Road traffic injuries: The number of all road users <br />killed reduced from two to zero after the meas- <br />ures were implemented. Similarly, the number of <br />people injured reduced from six to one. It is hoped <br />that data collection will continue for several years <br />to confirm the initial reductions in fatalities and <br />injuries. <br />• Vehicle speed: Observations at three intersec- <br />tions and four crossings indicated that average <br />vehicle speed was reduced by 9%. <br />• Non-motorized transport users' travel behaviour: <br />Crossing use increased and 65% of people inter- <br />viewed felt that the measures had reduced speed <br />and improved safety. <br />When choosing traffic-calming measures, it is important to bear in mind the <br />following issues (20): <br />. A combination of traffic-calming measures provides the greatest benefit. Ideally, <br />they should be applied on various streets and area-wide, rather than in one or two <br />isolated spots. <br />. The design of traffic-calming measures tends to be context-specific, so that <br />different measures are appropriate on different types of roads. It is therefore <br />important to apply measures on the street types and areas (e.g. residential) for <br />which they are designed. Some are appropriate at intersections, some in low- <br />volume residential areas, and others are meant to be applied area-wide. Table 4.1 <br />provides an overview of the application of various calming measures to road <br />types - arterial and local - as well as their anticipated impact on traffic volume. <br />s Neckdowns are kerb extensions that create a narrowing of streets at intersections. <br />76 <br />Page 222 <br />