city of milwaukee pedestrian safety summary...apr 22, 2019 · pedestrian crashes reported in...
TRANSCRIPT
FINAL DRAFT | April 2019
City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Safety SummaryPrepared for the City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Master Plan
THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK
DRAFT
i
DRAFT
AcknowledgmentsCity of Milwaukee Department of Public Works
•• Jeff Polenske, Commissioner•• Samir Amin, City Engineer•• Laura Daniels, Director of Operations•• Rollin Bertran, Engineer in Charge
•• Mike Amsden, Multimodal Transportation Manager•• James Hannig, Pedestrian & Bicycle Coordinator•• Marissa Meyer, Associate Transportation Planner•• Kate Riordan, Associate Transportation Planner
Prepared byToole Design
•• Kevin Luecke, Project Manager•• Frank Proulx, PhD; Megan Seib
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee•• Dr. Robert Schneider, AICP•• Marissa Meyer, City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works•• Cassandra Leopold, Master of Urban Planning Student
Funding Partners•• US DOT Federal Highway Administration
•• Wisconsin Department of Transportation
BackgroundThis paper was prepared in support of the Milwaukee Pedestrian Plan. It contains previously compiled information about pedestrian safety in the City of Milwaukee, as well as new research conducted specifically for this Plan.
Information contained in this document is for planning purposes and should not be used for final design of any project. All results, recommendations, concept drawings, and commentary contained herein are based on limited data and information, and on existing conditions that are subject to change.
THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK
DRAFT
iii
DRAFT
ContentsIntroduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
Total Numbers of Reported Pedestrian Crashes ...............................................................................1Pedestrian Injury Severity ...................................................................................................................2Motor Vehicle Speed and Pedestrian Injury Severity.........................................................................2
Pedestrian Crash Trends .................................................................................................. 3Demographics ......................................................................................................................................4Day and Month .....................................................................................................................................5Light Condition.....................................................................................................................................6Location Type ......................................................................................................................................6Hit and Run...........................................................................................................................................6Alcohol Involvement ............................................................................................................................6
2017 Pedestrian Fatalities ................................................................................................ 7
Crash Hot Spots ............................................................................................................... 9
Pedestrian High Injury Network ...................................................................................... 10
Common Pedestrian Crash Types .................................................................................. 11Primary Responsibility for Crash ..................................................................................................... 11Most Common Pedestrian Crash Types ......................................................................................... 12Most Common Fatal and Severe Pedestrian Crash Types ............................................................ 13
Major Street Speed Studies ............................................................................................ 14
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 16
Endnotes......................................................................................................................... 17
References ..................................................................................................................... 17
THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK
DRAFT
1
DRAFT
IntroductionThis document summarizes recent pedestrian safety data for the City of Milwaukee. It includes general trends in reported pedestrian crashes1 by injury severity level, geographic concentrations of pedestrian crashes (“hot spots”), common pedestrian crash types, characteristics of fatalities reported in 2017, and traffic speeds on selected streets. There are several sources of this information, including:
•• Police-reported motor vehicle-pedestrian collisions in the WisTransPortal Database between 2011 and 2016 (Wisconsin TOPS Laboratory 2017). Six years of data were reviewed to have enough crashes to identify patterns and to avoid including crashes that were too old (given that older crashes may not reflect current street designs, driver behaviors, or other built and social environment characteristics).
•• WisTransPortal Database and City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) summaries of pedestrian fatalities recorded in 2017 (Wisconsin TOPS Laboratory 2017; City of Milwaukee DPW 2017a).
•• Police crash report narratives from a sample of motor vehicle-pedestrian collisions in the WisTransPortal Database between 2011 and 2015 (Wisconsin TOPS Laboratory 2017).
•• City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works speed studies conducted in 2016 and 2017 (City of Milwaukee DPW 2017b).
Several overarching issues that are fundamental to understanding the findings of this report are described below. These include the use of total numbers of pedestrian crashes rather than pedestrian crash rates and the relationship between motor vehicle speed and pedestrian injury severity.
Total Numbers of Reported Pedestrian CrashesThe data summarized throughout this report are total numbers of reported pedestrian crashes for particular locations and time periods. This raises three important issues. First, a crash must be reported to the police department for it to be recorded; many minor crashes likely go unreported, and thus are not reflected in the data. Second, the unit of analysis is a crash. This means that a small proportion of crashes that involve more than one pedestrian are counted only once. Third, the summary totals are the total number of crashes, not pedestrian crash rates. Exposure data (e.g., pedestrian volumes) are needed to calculate crash rates (e.g., pedestrian crashes per crossing, per trip, per distance, or per time walked). Pedestrian counts were conducted as a part of the City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Plan process to provide this information, but they are not used in this safety report. Therefore, readers should recognize that some of the findings in this report are the result of crashes tending to be more common in locations and during time periods with more pedestrian activity.
2
DRAFT
Pedestrian Injury Severity Pedestrian injury severity summarized in this report is based on the injury severity code assigned by police at the crash site. These injury codes are summarized in the WisTransPortal Database on the KABCO scale:
•• K = Fatal
•• A = Incapacitating injury
•• B = Non-incapacitating injury
•• C = Possible injury
•• O = No injury or unreported
The injury severity represents the most severe injury from the crash, which almost always corresponds with the pedestrian (rather than the driver). Crashes that involve more than one pedestrian are analyzed using the highest injury severity recorded in the crash.
Motor Vehicle Speed and Pedestrian Injury SeverityThere is a clear relationship between motor vehicle speeds and pedestrian safety. Higher motor vehicle speeds decrease the probability of drivers yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks (Bertulis and Dulaski 2014) and increase the likelihood of severe injuries when a collision occurs (Tefft 2013). For example, Tefft (2013) estimates that there is only a 13 percent chance of death or severe injury when a pedestrian is struck at 20 miles per hour, but doubling the impact speed to 40 miles per hour increases the chance of death or severe injury to 73 percent (Figure 1). Therefore, street design speeds and driver speeding behavior are critical issues for pedestrian safety.
20 MPH
13% Likelihood of fatality or severe injury
30 MPH
40% Likelihood of fatality or severe injury
40 MPH
73% Likelihood of fatality or severe injury
Source: Tefft, Brian C. Impact speed and a pedestrian’s risk of severe injury or death. Accident Analysis & Prevention. 50. 2013
Figure 1: Likelihood of pedestrian fatality or severe injury by vehicle speed
3
DRAFT
Pedestrian Crash TrendsThere were 3,207 pedestrian crashes reported within the City of Milwaukee corporate limits between 2011 and 2017.2 The number of pedestrian crashes was relatively stable between 2011 and 2017 (Figure 2), but severe and fatal crashes have trended upward in recent years (Figure 3). On average, there were 458 pedestrian crashes, with 14 fatal crashes and 56 severe (“A”-level) injury crashes per year (Table 1). Years with more fatal crashes tended to have fewer severe injury crashes, meaning that there was little change in the combined total of fatal and severe injury crashes (approximately 70 per year). There is not reliable data on overall pedestrian volumes, so it is not known if the pedestrian crash rate (pedestrian crashes per crossing, per trip, per distance, or per time walked) has changed over time.
463 483 472 449 468 443 429
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Crashes, 2011-2017
Total
5953
61
48 47
57
66
13 117
1519
12
20
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Crashes, 2011-2017
Severe Injury (A) Fatal (K)
Table 1. City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Crash Trends
Injury Severity Level
Year Fatal (K) Severe (A) Other (B, C, O) Total2011 13 59 391 463
2012 11 53 419 483
2013 7 61 404 472
2014 15 48 386 449
2015 19 47 402 468
2016 12 57 374 443
2017 20 66 343 429
Total 97 391 2,719 3,207
Average 13.9 55.9 388.4 458.1
% of Total 3.0% 12.2% 84.8% 100%
Figure 2: City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Crash Trends: All Crashes
Figure 3: City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Crash Trends: Fatal and Severe Crashes
4
DRAFT
DemographicsPedestrian crashes reported in Milwaukee between 2011 and 2016 impacted certain demographic groups more than others. People walking aged 15 to 24 experienced more pedestrian crashes than any other age group (648) (Table 2). This age group also had the highest rate of total
pedestrian crashes (104 crashes per year per 100,000 residents). However, people aged 55 to 64 experienced the highest rate of fatal and severe pedestrian crashes (14.6 fatal or severe crashes per year per 100,000 residents).
Table 2. Pedestrian Crashes by Age Group, 2011-2016
Age Group
Total Crashes by Injury Severity Crashes per year per 100,000 residents
K & A B, C, & O Total % Total Crashes Population1 K & A B, C, & O Total<15 59 439 498 17.9% 134,254 7.32 54.50 61.82
15-24 79 569 648 23.3% 103,380 12.74 91.73 104.47
25-34 71 373 444 16.0% 99,785 11.86 62.30 74.16
35-44 38 244 282 10.2% 74,080 8.55 54.90 63.44
45-54 39 283 322 11.6% 71,799 9.05 65.69 74.75
55-64 52 226 278 10.0% 59,495 14.57 63.31 77.88
65-74 16 84 100 3.6% 28,795 9.26 48.62 57.88
75-84 8 39 47 1.7% 18,112 7.36 35.89 43.25
85+ 5 14 19 0.7% 8,378 9.95 27.85 37.80
Unknown 35 105 140 5.0%
Total 402 2,376 2,778 100% 598,078 11.20 66.21 77.411) Source: 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
Males walking experienced more pedestrian crashes than females (1,508 vs. 1,120) (Table 3). Males also had a higher rate of total pedestrian crashes (87.3 crashes per year per 100,000 residents) and a higher rate of
fatal and severe pedestrian crashes (13.3 fatal or severe crashes per year per 100,000 residents).
Table 3. Pedestrian Crashes by Sex, 2011-2016
Sex
Total Crashes by Injury Severity Crashes per year per 100,000 residents
K & A B, C, & O Total % Total Crashes Population1 K & A B, C, & O TotalFemale 138 982 1,120 40.3% 310,235 7.41 52.76 60.17
Male 229 1,279 1,508 54.3% 287,843 13.26 74.06 87.32
Unknown 35 115 150 5.4%
Total 402 2,376 2,778 100% 598,078 11.20 66.21 77.411) Source: 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
5
DRAFT
Day and MonthMore pedestrian crashes in Milwaukee occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday) than on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) (Figure 3 and Table 4). This difference may be due to higher levels of walking on weekdays. In contrast, greater percentages of fatal and severe injury crashes occurred on weekends. Additional data is needed to determine why there is an increase in the rate of severe crashes on weekends.
Table 4. Milwaukee Pedestrian Crashes by Day of Week, 2011-2016
Severity Level Su M Tu W Th F Sa Total
K & A 57 54 55 61 55 51 69 402
B, C, & O 280 360 353 348 338 381 316 2,376
Total 337 414 408 409 393 432 385 2,778
% K & A 16.9% 13.0% 13.5% 14.9% 14.0% 11.8% 17.9% 14.5%
Higher numbers of pedestrian crashes occur between May and November than during other months (Figure 4 and Table 5). This may be due partially to more pedestrian activity during warmer weather. Between 2011 and 2016, October was the peak month for total pedestrian crashes and for fatal and severe pedestrian crashes. October still has relatively nice weather, but most schools are in session and there are fewer hours of daylight than summer months.
Figure 3: Milwaukee Pedestrian Crashes by Day of Week, 2011-2016
Figure 4: Milwaukee Pedestrian Crashes by Month, 2011-2016
Table 5. Milwaukee Pedestrian Crashes by Month, 2011-2016
Severity Level Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
K & A 19 35 24 34 37 32 38 38 29 47 43 26 402
B, C, & O 177 168 189 166 215 214 215 206 202 252 195 177 2,376
Total 196 203 213 200 252 246 253 244 231 299 238 203 2,778
% K & A 9.7% 17.2% 11.3% 17.0% 14.7% 13.0% 15.0% 15.6% 12.6% 15.7% 18.1% 12.8% 14.5%
6
DRAFT
Light ConditionMany pedestrian crashes in Milwaukee occur when it is dark outside (light condition recorded as dawn, dusk, or dark). Overall, 41 percent of pedestrian crashes (1,131 of 2,778) between 2011 and 2016 occurred during darkness. However, darkness is particularly common in fatal pedestrian crashes: 61 percent of these crashes (47 of 77) occurred during dark conditions. The street was classified in the crash report as having working street lights for all but one of these fatal crashes. A wide range of street lighting conditions can be classified as having working street lights, so the presence of street lights does not imply that lighting was adequate at the crash location. Street lighting that better illuminates the street—and therefore crossing pedestrians—may help to improve pedestrian safety.
Location TypeBetween 2011 and 2016, 54 percent of pedestrian crashes (1,505 of 2,778) in Milwaukee occurred at intersections.3 Thirty-seven percent of pedestrian crashes (1,035 of 2,778) were midblock, and nine percent (238 of 2,778) occurred in parking lots or on private property. However, midblock pedestrian crashes were more likely to be fatal or severe: 20 percent of these midblock crashes were fatal or severe compared to 12 percent of crashes at intersections and five percent of crashes in parking lots or on private property. This is likely due in part to the fact that crashes occurring midblock are more likely to involve motor vehicles traveling at high speed.
Hit and RunMore than 30 percent of pedestrian crashes (889 of 2,778) in Milwaukee between 2011 and 2016 involved a driver leaving the crash scene. This characteristic was slightly more common for fatal pedestrian crashes, as 36 percent (28 of 77) were hit-and-run crashes.
Alcohol InvolvementApproximately five percent of pedestrian crashes (147 of 2778) in Milwaukee between 2011 and 2016 involved an intoxicated driver or pedestrian. However, nearly one-third of fatal pedestrian crashes (25 of 77) involved intoxication. The Wisconsin database does not indicate whether the driver, the pedestrian, or both parties in the crash were intoxicated. However, national data show that 15 percent of drivers and 34 percent of pedestrians involved in fatal pedestrian crashes during 2015 were intoxicated (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2017). Additionally, these percentages may be underestimated, as police officers writing the crash reports may not catch low levels of intoxication, and officers have no way of knowing if the driver was intoxicated in hit-and-run crashes.
7
DRAFT
Table 6. Milwaukee Fatal Pedestrian Crashes Reported between January and August 20171
Date Day, Time Location Posted Speed AADT2 Ped Age Ped
SexDriver Age
Driver Sex Hit & Run Low
Income3Minority Nbrhd4
2/16/17 Th, 3:43p E Brady, west of N Prospect 25 5,000 87 F 35 M N No No
Notes: Driver backed up into pedestrian who was in the street.
2/17/17 F, 2:51a W Wisconsin, west of N 36th 30 16,000 55 M 26 F N Yes Yes
Notes: Drugged/intoxicated driver struck pedestrian who was crossing the street from the right.
2/18/17 Sa, 4:08p W Oklahoma & S 44th 35 16,000 60 M 60 M Y No No
Notes: Driver made slight right turn from Forest Home and struck pedestrian who was in a crosswalk.
3/4/17 Sa, 6:44p W Vliet & N 17th 30 6,000 61 F 23 M Y Yes Yes
Notes: Driver sped through red light, struck another vehicle, and then struck pedestrian who was at the crosswalk on a median.
2017 Pedestrian FatalitiesMore pedestrian fatalities were reported in the City of Milwaukee during the first eight months of 2017 (15) than were recorded in all of 2016 (12). This increase in pedestrian fatalities warranted a more detailed examination of fatal crashes that occurred in 2017. The first 15 fatal crashes of 2017 were analyzed in detail because they were available at the time of this summary (September 30, 2017). The full crash reports with detailed police narratives are available from the WisTransPortal Database (Wisconsin TOPS Laboratory 2017).
The first 15 fatal pedestrian crashes of 2017 are summarized in Table 6.4 The 15 fatal crashes show the following patterns:
•• Nearly all (14 of 15) occurred in major street corridors. These are corridors that tend to have higher speed limits (30 miles per hour or higher), have higher traffic volumes (more than 10,000 vehicles per day), and are controlled by traffic signals.
•• Nearly all (14 of 15) were west of Interstate 43. Most occurred in neighborhoods with median household incomes below the citywide
average ($36,000 in 2015) and in neighborhoods where a majority of residents are Black or Latino.
•• Most (10 of 15) pedestrians killed were male.
•• More than half (9 of 15) were hit-and-run crashes (drivers left the scene without calling for help or waiting for police after hitting the pedestrian).
Note that fatal pedestrian crashes have increased in Milwaukee between 2016 and 2017, but non-severe crashes have decreased. The following points compare the first eight months of 2016 and first eight months of 2017.
•• Fatal crashes: 114 percent increase (2016 = 7; 2017 = 15)
•• Severe (“A” injury) crashes: 8 percent increase (2016 = 38; 2017 = 41)
•• Non-severe (“B”, “C”, and “O” injury) crashes: 25 percent decrease (2016 = 265; 2017 = 198)
•• Total crashes: 18 percent decrease (2016 = 310; 2017 = 254)
8
DRAFT
Date Day, Time Location Posted Speed AADT2 Ped Age Ped
SexDriver Age
Driver Sex Hit & Run Low
Income3Minority Nbrhd4
4/6/17 Th, 8:41a W Lisbon & N 92nd 35 10,000 58 F 44 M N No No
Notes: Driver fled the scene of another crash, ran a red light, struck another vehicle, and then struck a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
4/8/17 Sa, 8:37p N Hopkins & W Hampton 30 16,000 60 M Unknown Unknown Y Yes Yes
Notes: Driver ran red light and struck a pedestrian in the crosswalk, crossing from left.
4/9/17 Su, 10:10p W Capitol & N Sherman 30 47,000 54 M Unknown Unknown Y Yes Yes
Notes: Driver struck pedestrian crossing or in the street, but additional details are unknown.
4/18/17 Tu, 3:31p S 35th, N of W Mitchell 30 17,000 62 M 21 M Y Yes Yes
Notes: Driver sped and struck a pedestrian who was crossing the street from the left.
4/21/17 F, 8:50p N Sherman & W Douglas 35 22,000 29 M 28 F N Yes Yes
Notes: Driver with green light struck a pedestrian who was crossing from left against a red light.
4/28/17 F, 11:00p N Teutonia, N of W Villard 30 23,000 23 M 20 M Y Yes Yes
Notes: Driver struck pedestrian crossing the street from the left; then a driver in the next lane also hit the pedestrian.
5/4/17 Th, 5:40a N 107th, N of Lake Park 40 20,000 51 M 33 F Y Yes No
Notes: Driver struck pedestrian from behind. Pedestrian was walking along street in or adjacent to travel lane. No sidewalk.
5/10/17 W, 8:35p W Hopkins, N of W Chambers 30 11,000 60 M 41 M N Yes Yes
Notes: Driver struck pedestrian crossing the street from the right between parked cars.
6/12/17 M, 8:55p W Hampton, N of N 65th 30 30,000 36 F 31 F Y No Yes
Notes: Driver struck pedestrian crossing the street from the left in an unmarked crosswalk.
7/10/17 M, 9:07p W Silver Spring & N Lovers Lane 40 25,000 45 M 72 M N No Yes
Notes: Driver with green light struck a pedestrian who was crossing from right against a red light.
7/17/17 M, 1:05p W National Ave & S 23rd 30 17,000 68 F 68 M N Yes Yes
Notes: Driver in right lane struck pedestrian crossing from left in crosswalk. View blocked by semi in left lane (multi-threat).
1) Crash report details were summarized from police report crash narratives available from the WisTransPortal system (Wisconsin TOPS Laboratory 2017). The notes section for each crash in this table is a brief summary of the crash based on the more detailed police narrative and crash diagram in the official report.
2) Annualized Average Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes are for the street that the motor vehicle was traveling along prior to the crash. Source: WisDOT Interactive Traffic Volume Map, 2017.
3) Crash was in a neighborhood with an annual median income of <$35,000. Source: American Community Survey, Census tract data, 2009-2013.
4) Crash was in a neighborhood with more than 50 percent of residents who are Black or more than 50 percent of residents who are Latino. Source: American Community Survey, Census block data, 2011-2015
9
DRAFT
Crash Hot SpotsPedestrian crashes tend to be clustered in Downtown Milwaukee and along major thoroughfares throughout the City. Based on six years of crashes (2011 to 2016) in Milwaukee County, as shown in Figure 5, the highest density of crashes is generally found along the following corridors:
Capitol Drive North 92nd Street to Milwaukee River
North 35th Street West St. Paul Avenue to West Capitol Drive
North 27th Street Interstate 94 to West Capitol Drive
Fond du Lac Avenue Interstate 43 to West Silver Spring Avenue
North Avenue West Lisbon Avenue to North Prospect Avenue
Water Street West Cherry Street to East St. Paul Avenue
Cesar Chavez Drive West Forest Home Avenue to West National Avenue
National Avenue South 35th Street to South 1st Street
Greenfield Avenue South 27th Street to South 6th Street
Layton Boulevard/South 27th Street West Loomis Road to West National Avenue
West Oklahoma Avenue South 76th Street to South 92nd Street
West Silver Spring Drive West Appleton Avenue to North Teutonia Avenue
These corridors have several characteristics in common:•• Most have posted speed limits of 30 miles per hour or higher.•• Most have four or more travel lanes rather than two travel lanes. •• Most have traffic volumes greater than 10,000 motor vehicles per day.
Note that high levels of pedestrian activity may also be a factor in the dense concentrations of crashes along many of these corridors. Therefore, additional data on pedestrian volumes is needed to develop a better understanding of pedestrian crash risk in these corridors. In addition to providing a more nuanced understanding of safety along these corridors, pedestrian crash risk (e.g., pedestrian crashes per pedestrian street crossing) may provide a better representation of the level of comfort pedestrians experience when traveling on any given street.
Figure 5: Milwaukee County Pedestrian Crash Density, 2011-2016
10
DRAFT
Pedestrian High Injury NetworkAnother way to look at pedestrian crashes is examining where the most severe crashes are occurring. It is important to focus on locations where crashes result in serious injury or death as these crashes have the greatest impact on people’s lives and well-being. These crashes also have significant economic impacts, including personal economic losses, long-term healthcare costs, and spending on emergency response. Figure 10 displays the pedestrian high-injury network—the most dangerous streets citywide. The pedeestrian high-injury network was determined by mapping all pedestrian crashes along a street, with severe and fatal crashes receiving three points and non-severe crashes receiving one point. Points were then totaled in half-mile segments to produce the heat map. The pedestrian high injury network represents approximately 106 miles of streets, or 7 percent of all City streets. Using this measure, the most dangerous corridors for people walking include the following (listed alphabetically):
East Brady Street North Prospect Avenue to North Van Buren Street
East North Avenue North Terrace Avenue to North Humboldt Avenue
North Oakland Avenue East Irving Place to East Hartford Avenue
North 27th Street West North Avenue to West Hope Avenue
North Water Street West St. Paul Avenue to West Cherry Street
South Cesar E Chavez Drive West National Avenue to West Lapham Boulevard
West Burleigh Street North 20th Street to North Sherman Boulevard
West Capitol Drive North 20th Street to West Fond du Lac Avenue
West Fond Du Lac Avenue West North Avenue to West Townsend Street
West Greenfield Avenue South 14th Street to South 22nd Street
Figure 6: City of Milwaukee Pedestrian High Injury Network
11
DRAFT
Common Pedestrian Crash TypesThe Department of Public Works used two crash typing methods to categorize pedestrian crashes in the City of Milwaukee.
•• The Location-Movement Classification Method (LMCM). The LMCM codes crashes based on their relative location (e.g., intersection, street segment, driveway, parking lot, side of the street), the movement of the motor vehicle prior to the crash (e.g., traveling straight, turning left, turning right), and the movement of the pedestrian prior to the crash (e.g., same direction as motor vehicle, opposite direction as motor vehicle, approaching from left side of motor vehicle, approaching from right side of motor vehicle) (Schneider and Stefanich 2016).
•• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) method featured in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (Harkey et al. 2006). The NHTSA method codes crashes to better understand the sequence of events and behaviors leading to the collision.
Since this part of the analysis was conducted by the DPW in 2016, data include crashes reported between 2011 and 2015. The Department selected a sample of 233 pedestrian crashes by taking every tenth crash, as listed by date (producing a sample of approximately 10 percent of all 2,335 pedestrian crashes reported during this period). The detailed analysis included reading the entire crash report, including the police narrative and crash diagram. The Department determined crash types and assigned primary responsibility for each crash based on this information.
Primary Responsibility for CrashThe primary responsibility5 for each crash in the sample was assigned based on the police crash narrative. Overall, drivers were primarily responsible for the majority (64 percent) of the 233 crashes that were analyzed. Pedestrians were responsible for 30 percent, both the driver and pedestrian were responsible for five percent, and one percent were undetermined. However, there was a notable difference in primary responsibility for fatal or severe pedestrian crashes. Of the 32 fatal or severe pedestrian crashes in the sample, pedestrians were determined to be primarily responsible in 53 percent, motorists were primarily responsible in 38 percent, both were responsible in 6 percent, and neither were responsible in 3 percent.
12
DRAFT
Table 7. Most Common LMCM Pedestrian Crash Types in Milwaukee, 2011-2015
Crash Type Depiction # of Crashes
% of Crash
SampleDescription
I_FS_LT_O 22 9.4%
Left-turning motorist strikes pedestrian traveling from opposite direction (relative to motorist’s direction before turning) in far crosswalk
N_RRD_R 22 9.4%
Straight-traveling motorist strikes pedestrian approaching from right on right side of street
OTH 21 9.0%Other movements that do not fit into the categories described
I_FS_LT_S 16 6.9%
Left-turning motorist strikes pedestrian traveling from same direction (relative to motorist’s direction before turning) in far crosswalk
I_NS_RT_R 15 6.4%
Right-turning motorist strikes pedestrian approaching from right in near crosswalk
I_NS_ST_R 15 6.4%
Straight-traveling motorist strikes pedestrian approaching from right in near crosswalk
Most Common Pedestrian Crash TypesThe NHTSA method showed that motorists striking pedestrians while making left turns was the most common crash type (Table 7). Further, many crashes occurred when pedestrians entered the street (classified as a “dash,” “dart-out,” or “motorist failed to yield,” depending on the circumstance).
According to the LMCM, the most common pedestrian crash type in Milwaukee involved drivers making a left turn and striking a pedestrian in the far-side crosswalk (Table 8). The two crash types describing this circumstance (I_FS_LT_O and I_FS_LT_S) accounted for more than 15 percent of all crashes in the sample. Other common LMCM crash types involved drivers striking pedestrians approaching from the right side of the street along a street segment (N_RRD_R) and approaching from the right side in the near-side crosswalk.
Table 7. Most Common NHTSA Pedestrian Crash Types in Milwaukee, 2011-2015
Crash Type # of Crashes Severe % Description
781 40 18.0% Motorist Left Turn—Parallel Paths
741 27 12.2% Dash (pedestrian sudden movement into traffic)
742 24 10.8% Dart-Out (motorist view of pedestrian blocked)
770 19 8.6% Motorist Failed to Yield
140 13 5.9% Vehicle-Vehicle/Object
13
DRAFT
Most Common Fatal and Severe Pedestrian Crash TypesCertain types of pedestrian crashes were more likely to result in fatal and severe injuries than others. The NHTSA method showed that two of the most common types of crashes that led to fatal and severe injuries involved pedestrians entering traffic inappropriately (pedestrian sudden movement into traffic and motorist view of the pedestrian blocked) (Table 9). The LMCM analysis showed that crash types involving motorists traveling straight were most likely to result in fatal and severe crashes (Table 10).
Table 9. Most Common Fatal and Severe NHTSA Pedestrian Crash Types in Milwaukee, 2011-2015
Crash Type # of Crashes1 Severe % Description
741 27 25.9% Dash (pedestrian sudden movement into traffic)
140 13 23.1% Vehicle-Vehicle/Object
742 24 20.8% Dart-Out (motorist view of pedestrian blocked)
1) Crash types were only ranked if they had at least ten reported crashes during the 2011-2015 period. Note that two crash types had a relatively high percentage of severe pedestrian crashes, but their sample sizes were small. Two of six (33%) “pedestrian failed to yield” crashes (crash type 760) were fatal or severe, and two of six (33%) “backing vehicle—driveway” crashes (crash type 211) were fatal or severe.
Table 10. Most Common Fatal and Severe LMCM Pedestrian Crash Types in Milwaukee, 2011-2015
Crash Type Depiction # of Crashes1 Severe % Description
N_RRD_L 14 42.9%
Straight-traveling motorist strikes pedestrian approaching from left on right side of street
I_FS_ST_L 13 30.8%
Straight-traveling motorist strikes pedestrian approaching from left on far side of intersection
I_FS_ST_R 13 30.8%
Straight-traveling motorist strikes pedestrian approaching from right on far side of intersection
I_NS_ST_R 15 20.0%
Straight-traveling motorist strikes pedestrian approaching from right on near side of intersection
1) Crash types were only considered if they had at least ten reported crashes during the 2011-2015 period. Note that one crash type had a relatively high percentage of severe pedestrian crashes, but its sample size was small. Two of six (33%) “backing motorist strikes pedestrian in driveway” crashes (crash type D_B) were fatal or severe.
14
DRAFT
Major Street Speed StudiesSpeed studies (data collected for more than 24 hours) conducted by the City of Milwaukee DPW on arterial and collector streets during 2016 and 2017 were reviewed. These studies are typically conducted as part of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program when evaluating traffic calming measures, as requested by members of the Common Council, or as otherwise identified by DPW staff. However, these studies represent only a small sample of streets. There are likely to be other streets with moderate and severe speeding problems that are not represented in this analysis.
The available studies show that it is common for drivers to exceed the posted speed limit by at least ten miles per hour on many major streets (Table 11). For example, the 85th percentile speed column of Table 11 shows that 15 percent or more of vehicles exceeded the speed limit by 10 miles per hour or more on:
•• South 35th Street
•• West Capitol Drive
•• North 68th Street
•• North 35th Street
•• North Sherman Boulevard
•• North 84th Street
•• North 20th Street
•• East Locust Street Bridge over the Milwaukee River
•• North 51st Boulevard
•• South Clement Avenue
Several streets have a particularly severe speeding problem. We analyzed additional speed data for several streets to quantify the number of vehicles that exceeded the posted speed limit by at least 20 miles per hour:
•• South 35th Street (data collected at 2518 South 35th Street, near West Arthur Avenue) had more than 750 vehicles per day traveling at least 50 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. This represents approximately 1 in 16 vehicles (6.3 percent). This count location is a four-lane, median-separated boulevard near the north end of a bridge over railroad tracks in a mixed residential, office, and industrial area.
•• West Capitol Drive (data collected at 3839 West Capitol Drive, near North 39th Street) had more than 950 vehicles per day traveling at least 50 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. This represents approximately 1 in 18 vehicles (5.7 percent). This count location is a six-lane, median-separated boulevard with on-street parking allowed in the outside lanes during off-peak periods. It is in a mixed residential and commercial retail area.
•• North 68th Street (data collected at 4558 North 68th Street, near West Glendale Avenue) had more than 120 vehicles per day traveling at least 50 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. This represents approximately 1 in 47 vehicles (2.1 percent). This count location is a two-lane street with on-street parking in a residential neighborhood.
The common occurrence of speeding in Milwaukee puts pedestrians at risk for crashes and serious injuries. Not surprisingly, some of the highest-speed streets correspond with concentrations of pedestrian crashes and severe and fatal injuries. Motor vehicle speeding is a critical issue to address in order to improve pedestrian safety.
15
DRAFT
Table 11. Sample Speed Studies, 2016 and 2017
Street Location Total Vehicles
Posted Speed
85th Percentile
Speed1
Median Speed
Average Speed
Max Speed
# of vehicles exceeding speed limit
by 20+ MPH2
% of vehicles exceeding speed limit
by 20+ MPH2
Notes
W Burleigh St 8016 W Burleigh Ave 22,832 35 44 39 39 70 - - 20 MPH school zone
N Sherman Blvd 5400 N Sherman Blvd 38,119 35 41 37 37 62 - -
S 35th St 2518 S 35th St 24,670 30 47 41 42 74 1,548 6.27%
W Capitol Dr 3839 W Capitol Dr 33,778 30 45 39 39 71 1,919 5.68%
N 68th St 4558 N 68th St 11,429 30 43 37 37 73 241 2.11%
N 35th St 5734 N 35th St 6,136 30 42 36 36 71 113 1.84%
N Sherman Blvd 4054 N Sherman Blvd 36,752 30 42 36 36 68 589 1.60%
S 35th St 2910 S 35th St 21,769 30 41 36 36 61 205 0.94% On bridge
N 84th St 4562 N 84th St 9,027 30 41 35 34 60 72 0.80% End of 20 MPH school zone
N 20th St S of W Garfield Ave 12,700 30 40 34 34 62 133 1.05% 20 MPH school zone
E Locust St 1300 E Locust St 42,715 30 40 36 35 68 191 0.45% On bridge. 20 MPH school zone ends on bridge.
S 16th St 2869 S 16th St 18,611 30 39 34 34 62 81 0.44%
W Wells St 4936 W Wells St 3,003 30 39 34 33 58 13 0.43%
N Hawley Rd N Hawley Rd bridge over W State St 26,365 30 39 35 35 63 52 0.20% On bridge
W National Ave 1316 W National Ave 29,197 30 38 33 33 70 - - Near beginning of 20 MPH school zone
S 16th St 2512 S 16th St 16,542 30 38 33 33 60 - -
W Burleigh St 5216 W Burleigh St 25,684 30 38 33 33 65 - -
N 76th St 154 N 76th St 21,710 30 38 34 33 69 - - 20 MPH school zone
N Humboldt Blvd 3219 N Humboldt Blvd 21,214 30 37 33 33 68 - -
E North Ave 1220 E North Ave 41,744 30 37 33 33 63 - - On bridge
E Oklahoma Ave 923 E Oklahoma Ave 31,002 30 37 33 33 62 - -
N 76th St 170 N 76th St 22,340 30 37 32 32 63 - - 20 MPH school zone
S 2nd St 1014 S 2nd St 13,668 30 36 31 31 65 - -
16
DRAFT
Street Location Total Vehicles
Posted Speed
85th Percentile
Speed1
Median Speed
Average Speed
Max Speed
# of vehicles exceeding speed limit
by 20+ MPH2
% of vehicles exceeding speed limit
by 20+ MPH2
Notes
S Howell Ave 2750 S Howell Ave 17,429 30 36 32 32 62 - -
W State St 3215 W State St 19,597 30 35 31 30 60 - -
N 51st Blvd 3230 N 51st Blvd 20,292 25 37 33 33 66 35 0.17%
S Clement Ave 2931 S Clement Ave 11,335 25 35 30 30 58 31 0.27%
S Clement Ave 3016 S Clement Ave 11,750 25 34 30 30 59 27 0.23%
W Locust St 5737 W Locust St 3,421 25 33 27 27 55 17 0.50%
N Lake Dr 2245 N Lake Dr 10,470 25 32 29 29 46 - -
W Locust St 5319 W Locust St 4,757 25 32 27 27 55 - - 15 MPH School Zone
S Clement Ave 2968 S Clement Ave 12,375 25 31 27 27 61 - -
N Lake Dr 2218 N Lake Dr 8,565 25 31 28 27 46 - -
W Martin Dr 4215 W Martin Dr 5,466 25 30 27 27 45 - -
Note: Speed studies had durations between 30 and 72 hours. Because of this variance, the number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by 20 or more MPH can not be compared from one street to another.
1) The 85th percentile speed indicates that 15 percent of observed vehicles traveled at or faster than this speed.
2) The number and percent of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by at least 20 miles per hour was calculated for streets where the 85th percentile speed was at least 30 percent higher than the posted speed.
ConclusionCollisions with motor vehicles present a significant safety threat to pedestrians in Milwaukee. Each year an average of nearly 13 people walking are killed in crashes, while over 50 are severely injured, and hundreds more sustain minor injuries. Vehicle speed is the primary determining factor in the severity of pedestrian crashes, and traffic studies conducted throughout the city show significant numbers of people driving exceeding the speed limit, often by large amounts. The results of this analysis were used in the development of recommendations to improve pedestrian safety throughout the city.
17
DRAFT
Endnotes1 The term “pedestrian crashes” is used in this report to refer to police-reported collisions
between motor vehicles and pedestrians on public streets or on private property (including parking lots). It does not include falls or other pedestrian incidents that do not involve a motor vehicle. It also does not include collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians that are not reported to police. These “unreported” collisions are likely to make up more than half of all pedestrian crashes (Stutts and Hunter 1998).
2 For this summary analysis, the total number of pedestrian crashes was taken directly from the WisTransPortal Database. A detailed examination of a sample of these crashes showed that a few of these crashes actually involved bicyclists and should have been coded as bicyclist crashes instead of pedestrian crashes. Therefore, we estimate that approximately 1% to 2% of the 2,778 total crashes summarized in this report are actually bicyclist crashes.
3 Pedestrian crashes in crosswalks are recorded as intersection crashes. However, it is unclear how close a crash outside of a crosswalk needs to be to the crosswalk to be counted as an intersection crash in the WisTransPortal database.
4 Note that a sixteenth fatal crash is also included in this table. It involved three pedestrians who were seriously injured, but only the driver was killed.
5 “Primary responsibility” is a term indicating our interpretation of which party or parties in the crash were primarily responsible based on the police crash report narrative. Terms such as “liability” or “fault” were avoided because this was an informal assessment.
ReferencesAmerican Community Survey. Census tract median household income data, 2009-2013 five-year estimates, Available from Census Explorer, Available online, https://www.census.gov/censusexplorer/censusexplorer.html, 2017.
American Community Survey. Census block race data, 2011-2015 five-year estimates, Available from Justice Map, Available online, http://www.justicemap.org/, 2017.
Bertulis, T. and D.M. Dulaski. “Driver Approach Speed and Its Impact on Driver Yielding to Pedestrian Behavior at Un-signalized Crosswalks,” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Volume 2464, pp. 46-51, 2014.
City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW). Summaries of pedestrian fatalities reported in 2017, Provided to Pedestrian Master Plan Study Team, July 19, 2017a.
City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW). Speed study data, Provided to Pedestrian Master Plan Study Team, August 9, 2017b.
Harkey, D. L., S. Tsai, L. Thomas, and W. W. Hunter. Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT): Version 2.0 Application Manual, FHWA-HRT-06-089, Federal Highway Administration, http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pbcat_us/pbcat_manual/PBCAT_Manual.pdf, 2006.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts: 2015 Data, Pedestrians, 2017.
Schneider, R.J. and J. Stefanich. “Application of the Location-Movement Classification Method for Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Typing,” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Volume 2601, pp. 72-83, 2016.
Stutts, J.C. and W.W. Hunter. “Police-Reporting of Pedestrians and Bicyclists Treated in Hospital Emergency Rooms,” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Volume 1635, pp. 88-92, 1998.
Tefft, B. “Impact Speed and a Pedestrian’s Risk of Severe Injury or Death,” Accident Analysis and Prevention, Volume 50, pp. 871-878, 2013.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Interactive Traffic Count Map, Available online, https://trust.dot.state.wi.us/roadrunner/, 2017.
Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety (TOPS) Laboratory. WisTransPortal Database, Available online, https://transportal.cee.wisc.edu/services/crash-data/, 2017.
THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK
DRAFT
THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK
DRAFT
