Two new brochures have been published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program.  The  first brochure highlights best practices and policies among state departments of transportation (DOTs) for the scoping, design, and installation of raised medians and refuge islands.  Raised center, bull-nosed medians and pork-chop islands – in addition to reducing pedestrian crashes – provide additional benefits such as:

• Reducing motor vehicle crashes by 15 percent
• Decreasing delays (greater than 30 percent) for motorists
• Increasing capacity (greater than 30 percent) of roadways
• Reducing vehicle speeds on the roadway
• Providing space for landscaping within the right-of-way

The second brochure gives case studies on best practices and policies in state DOTs for policies and plans that promote good design and the installation of walkways and paved shoulders in roadway projects.  In addition to reducing pedestrian and other types of crashes, the benefits of well-designed and built walkways and shoulders can include:

• Improving roadway drainage
• Increasing effective turning radii at intersections
• Reducing shoulder maintenance requirements
• Providing emergency stopping space for broken down vehicles
• Providing space for maintenance operations and snow storage
• Providing an increased level of comfort for bicyclists