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Elements of Complete Streets
SAFETY AND SPEED Speed is the most prominent factor in both the perceived comfort and safety of streets. Consider the relative risk that a person on a bike is asked to assume when using a bicycle lane alongside traffic with no physical separation compared to the risk a driver assumes in that same situation. Safe street design should reinforce safety elements for all users, particularly the most vulnerable, and reductions in speed play a large role in that effort. When planning for and constructing improvements, streets should be reviewed for instances where the current number of travel lanes, travel lane configuration, and/or lane sizes are inconsistent with the purpose that the street serves. Streets and their respective design guidelines are formed in large part on the understanding that speed is a major risk factor when it comes to road deaths. As speed increases, a driver’s field of vision narrows, making it less likely that they will see another vehicle entering an intersection, someone riding a bike on the side of the road, or a child stepping off a curb. Figure 2-6 demonstrates the danger to people walking compared to the driver’s speed. The risk of death increased dramatically as speed increases; in fact, a doubling of speed is associated with an eight-fold increase in mortality rate for those pedestrians and bicyclists who are struck.
Figure 2-6 Speed and Risk of Injury
The Hillsborough County Speed Management Action Plan 7 sheds significant light on regional Fatal Crash Characteristics observed in the Top 20 High Injury Network (HIN) of corridors throughout Hillsborough County (multi-jurisdictional). Figure 2-7 shows the summary statistics and their correlation to speed, aggressive driving behaviors, location, and time of day.
7 Hillsborough TPO, Speed Management Action Plan, July 2020
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