CITY OF OAKLAND
PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY. 250 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA. SUITE 4344 . OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612-2033
Transportation Services Division
(510) 238-1466
FAX (510) 238-741S
TDD (510) 839-6451
August 6, 2001
Ms. Shelley 1. Rowe
Director, Office of Transportation Operations
Federal Highway Administration
400 Seventh St., SW (HOTO, Room 3401)
Washington, DC 20590
Re: Countdown Pedestrian Signals
Dear Ms. Rowe:
The City of Oakland requests permission to experiment with pedestrian countdown signals at ten (10) intersections. This request letter follows the Federal Highway Administration (FHW~guidelines, including Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) 1A-10 Manual Changes, Interpretations and Authority to Experiment. We have already obtained authorization from the California Traffic Control Devices Committee (CTCDC), contingent on a comprehensive evaluation and seeking federal authorization.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Improving pedestrian safety on city streets continues to receive one of the highest priorities in the City of Oakland. The City has a substantially large number of school age children, seniors and disabled citizens. These groups largely depend on walking as their primary mode of transportation. Although the City has developed and implemented many programs aimed at increased mobility and enhanced safety for pedestrians, more needs to be done since pedestrian accidents and resulting injuries continue to be a concern to the City and its residents.
It is anticipated that use of pedestrian countdown signal heads will clarify what conventional WALK and DON'T WALK signals do not necessarily convey. Since experimental pedestrian countdown signals have been installed in several California cities, including San Francisco, South San Francisco, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, and Monterey, we assume that FHW A is quite familiar with the devices and does not require a technical description or illustration.
PROPOSED LOCATIONS
Following an approval from the CTCDC, the City's Public Works Agency (PW A) has identified the following ten (10) locations for the experimental installations:
These locations have been approved by the City Council at its July 24, 2001 Council meeting. The selection was based on the following criteria:
We will provide detailed information on these locations and selection criteria in the evaluation reports.
INSTALLATION AND EVALUATION
Currently, the City is exploring funding for these experimental installations. It is anticipated that adequate funding will be secured within the next several weeks. Once the funding is identified, we anticipate completing the installation in about six to nine months. A study of 'before' conditions will be completed during this period.
Once the countdown signal heads are installed, an 'after' study will be conducted to see how it has affected and benefited the driver and pedestrian behavior. This study will be conducted after 3-4 months of installation to assure that the data is collected after somewhat normal conditions resume after initial shift. A comprehensive report will be prepared and submitted to the FHW A and CTCDC once the study is complete.
The experiment, including preparation and submission of the report, will take approximately 18 months to complete. The City plans to provide regular status reports to FHW A and CTCDC.
We agree to monitor the impact of the experiment. If there are problems with the devices, we agree to remove them within three months of completion of the experiment. If the experiment directly or indirectly creates significant safety hazards, we will remove the equipment immediately.
We look forward to receiving FHW A's approval so that we can proceed with this experimental installation and evaluation. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call me at (510) 238-3469.
Very truly yours,
Amit Kothari, P.E. Transportation Services Manager
Cc: Raymond Mellen, CTCDC Chairman Merry Banks, CSAA