SGF Yields: A Pedestrian Safety Program
Implementing Safe System Principles in the City of Springfield, Missouri
Safe System Approach principles and elements. Credit: FHWA.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) adopted the Safe System Approach (SSA) as the guiding paradigm to address roadway safety. SSA is the foundation for a number of programs aligned to the same goal: zero roadway deaths. The SSA incorporates six principals and five elements of roadway safety, as shown in the accompanying graphic.
The activities of the SGF Yields program are highlighted here to align with the SSA principals. This program was one city's innovative approach to improving pedestrian safety. It addressed this challenge through multiple approaches and worked to involve all road users in the process.
THE CHALLENGES
The city of Springfield, Missouri experienced 74 pedestrian crashes in 2016, a 25% increase from 2014. Sadly, this included 10 fatal crashes involving a pedestrian between 2014 and 2016. Concerned about the safety of the pedestrians, the city of Springfield applied for a Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) grant in 2016 to fund the creation of a pedestrian safety program.
The City's traffic engineering staff analyzed police-reported crash data for Springfield and identified that driver failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks as a contributing factor in more than half of all pedestrian crashes.
To investigate this pedestrian safety problem further, the City conducted crosswalk compliance studies at several crosswalks around the City and found that only 25% of drivers were yielding to pedestrians.
THE STRATEGY
Taking its name from Springfield Airport's three-character location identifier code - SGF - the city of Springfield designed the SGF Yields campaign as a comprehensive approach to improve pedestrian safety. A Springfield transportation engineer championed this system campaign, which initially aimed to increase driver compliance in yielding to pedestrians at marked crosswalks but has since expanded its goals.
SGF Yields Logo. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
SGF Yields used a new approach: it recognized that responsibility for safety is shared and redundancy is crucial.
Rather than assigning responsibility solely to the drivers, the campaign acknowledged that drivers, other road users - including pedestrians - and road owners share responsibility for the safety of all road users at crosswalks.
The campaign worked to achieve public buy-in and keep all road users aware of pedestrian safety; also addressed safety through multiple approaches of redundancy, so that crashes may still be prevented even if one strategy is not effective.
These approaches included infrastructure improvements, enforcement of traffic laws pertaining to pedestrian right-of-way, education for road users and children, policy changes, and community outreach.
Crosswalk Compliance Studies
SGF Yields includes a three-tier campaign focused on drivers, pedestrians, and the broader community. To improve driver compliance and measure program's effectiveness, traffic engineers conducted crosswalk compliance studies from the onset of the program.
Each quarter, the City studied four crosswalk sites, one from each City Council zone, and checked them against another two control sites to monitor inconsistencies.
The six crosswalk sites each quarter were at either mid-block or intersection approaches, and did not have a traffic signal or stop sign.
During each study, an engineer in plain clothing would approach a crosswalk as a car was approaching, timing their approach to the edge of the crosswalk so the car had ample stopping distance. Then they recorded the number of drivers that yielded over the course of the hour.
Map displays the sites of the crosswalk compliance studies around the City. Click on a site to view the results for that site and the average for all sites in that quarter's study. Credit: FHWA.
The collected data was analyzed to evaluate SGF Yields' impact on driver behavior and then shared with the public to change social norms around yielding.
After each quarter's compliance studies, the City added signs to these intersections or mid-block crossings to publicly display the rate at which drivers had yielded to pedestrians. These signs helped drivers understand the problem and motivate them to improve their behavior.
Infrastructure Improvements
The City used the crosswalk compliance study outcomes to guide infrastructure improvements. It installed countermeasures at 20 crosswalks throughout the City. The countermeasures selected were based on the context of the roadway; and included marking upgrades, crosswalk bulb-outs, raised crosswalks, protected islands, in-road signs, chicanes, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons. The City used crosswalk compliance studies conducted pre- and post-installation to evaluate the effectiveness of the new infrastructure.
Midblock crosswalk before (left) and after (right) restriping and addition of curb extensions. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
Community Education
The campaign worked to achieve public buy-in with a highly visible mascot: a pedestrian figure named Mr. Walker. The fluorescent neon-yellow Mr. Walker figures across town trained residents to recognize and respect the same colored MUTCD pedestrian crossing signs near crosswalks and schools. The Mr. Walker silhouette has become a community icon, found on signs, business entrances, and bumper stickers throughout the City to remind people about pedestrian safety.
To view a full list of all the locations where Mr. Walker has been installed around the City, click on the button below.
Various Mr. Walker installations around the city of Springfield, MO. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
RRFB sidewalk decal. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
The campaign also educated pedestrians, beginning by developing materials for adult education . The City shared infographics covering such topics as nighttime visibility, pedestrian laws, multi-lane threats, through public service announcements, social media , local media outlets, and local large employers.
The City also shared educational messages using non-slip sidewalk decals explaining the use of the Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFB) and displaying Springfield's crosswalk laws, and posted educational materials on the SGF Yields website .
Later, the City expanded the program to educate elementary school students about pedestrian and bicyclist safety. In addition to teaching about crosswalk and traffic signals, the presentation provides students with a decision-making mnemonic called "S.T.O.P.", which stands for Stop, Think Observe, Proceed, that helps young pedestrians take charge of their safety.
SGF Yields presentation on pedestrian safety at elementary school. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
Yield Checks
Eventually, the City implemented high-visibility crosswalk enforcement, modeled after the National Highway Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operations guide . Yield Checks involved alerting drivers in advance that police enforcement would be targeting driver failure to yield, and then deploying plain clothes police officers to conduct the Yield Checks at intersections with low compliance rates.
Yield Check sites around the city of Springfield. Credit: FHWA.
Warning issued to drivers that failed a Yield Check. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
The City initiated a warning period to make road users aware of safety issue and change their behavior through education rather than penalties. For the first three months, police officers gave drivers who failed to yield a warning in the form of an education flyer instead of a ticket.
The City selected sites for Yield Checks based on a history of poor yielding compliance, and routinely shared with the community the Yield Checks schedule, photos, and results, to maximize the effort's reach.
To learn more about the Yield Checks around the City, click on the button below.
APPLYING THE SAFE SYSTEM APPROACH
The SGF Yields campaign aligned with the Safe System Approach. Many communities adopted the goal of zero deaths and serious injuries and are applying the Safe System Approach to achieve this goal. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) promotes the tagline "Zero is Our Goal. A Safe System is How We Get There" to emphasize the significance of the approach of reaching zero.
SGF Yields leveraged the SSA principal that death and serious injury is unacceptable by identifying that there was safety risks to their road users and taking steps to protect them. Missouri has created its own plan for moving toward zero road users and the city of Springfield is doing its part to reduce deaths and serious injuries among its own road users.
SGF Yields leveraged the SSA principal that humans make mistakes by installing countermeasures at hazardous intersections to prevent mistakes and keep road users safe when mistake happen. Improved roadway markings, flashing beacons, and other infrastructure changes encourage road users to slow down and pay attention to their surroundings.
SGF Yields leveraged the SSA principal that humans are vulnerable by addressing pedestrian and bicyclist safety. When people walk or ride bicycles, they lack the protection afforded by an automobile, so other means must be used to protect them. SGF Yields has helped educate about and facilitate traffic calming and other measures that help reduce vehicle speeds.
SGF Yields leveraged the SSA principal that responsibility is shared by including all road users, educators, engineers, law enforcement personnel, community advocates, policy makers, and others. SGF Yields has worked to counter a common driver's belief that "it's always the pedestrians that step out in front of vehicles" and encourage shared responsibility.
SGF Yields leveraged the SSA principal that safety is proactive by identifying and collecting data on leading indicators of crash risk, like driver yielding rates, rather than only making safety improvements at intersections where crashes have already occurred. Pre- and post-compliance studies for crosswalk enhancements help the City evaluate countermeasures and help justify treatment site expenses.
SGF Yields leveraged the SSA principal that redundancy is crucial by protecting pedestrian safety through multiple approaches. By changing the City Code, crosswalk infrastructure, and pedestrian and driver behavior, the City ensured that there are multiple layers of protection for pedestrians in case one part of the system fails.
By creating a campaign that addresses pedestrian safety through multiple approaches and by working to involve all road users, the city of Springfield has embraced the Safe System Approach.
To learn more about the Safe System Approach, click on the button below.
RESULTS AND NEXT STEPS
After addressing their safety challenges through multiple approaches, SGF Yields was able to achieve its primary goal.
The city of Springfield more than doubled driver compliance rates at crosswalks, increasing the annual average percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians from 25% to 53% between 2017 and 2021.
The number of pedestrian crashes in the city of Springfield also halted its upward trend. In 2021, 60 pedestrian crashes were reported, compared to 72 crashes in 2017, when the City launched the campaign, and 4 pedestrian fatalities were reported in 2021 as opposed to 7 pedestrian fatalities reported in 2017.
Policy Changes
The SGF Yields campaign also advocated for policy changes aimed at improving pedestrian safety. Through an ordinance , the City made several amendments to the Springfield City Code.
SGF Yields sign for White Cane Law. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
The City created the 3-Foot Rule , amending the description of pedestrian right-of-way. The new rule requires that drivers must yield to pedestrians within 3 feet of an uncontrolled crosswalk, not just to pedestrians who have already entered the crosswalk. This law is intended to further reduce ambiguity at crossings for both drivers and pedestrians by codifying when a driver is required to stop for pedestrians near a crosswalk.
A second amendment made it clear that vehicles entering and exiting driveways or alleys are required to yield to pedestrians or bicyclists. The City also added a local version of the State's White Cane Law that requires drivers to yield to pedestrians with a cane or a service dog.
Local Support
SGF Yields successfully engaged the community and rallied them around the cause of pedestrian safety. Starting with displaying the results of driver yielding rates at each studied intersection, the campaign was able to engage drivers by helping them understand the poor compliance rates at crosswalks.
Sign notifying drivers of the results of a crosswalk compliance study. Credit: City of Springfield, MO – SGF Yields Program.
The SGF Yields campaign has gained support from the community and has expanded its scope to help meet local needs. The SGF Yields Coalition consists of representatives from local agencies, concerned citizens, and service providers for community members with low income or experiencing homelessness. The Coalition created an outreach program to work with the homeless and vulnerable road users: those at highest risk to die in a pedestrian crash. The Coalition also investigated the relationship between the larger circumstances of poverty of the locations where people undertake high-risk crossings. They developed crash maps that indicated these high-risk crossing often occurred near homeless camps and zero-vehicle household areas. The Coalition then developed messages and a communication plan to reach that public.
Similarly, the SGF Yields Action Group is an active citizen's group that has worked to support these pedestrian safety initiatives in their community.
The Action Group discusses public education needs and safety concerns.
They show public support by attending Yield Checks and cheering on yielding drivers.
The Action Group also helps organize the local Lantern Walk for National Pedestrian Safety Month, which is in October.
Toolkit
SGF Yields has drawn interest from other communities and states and interested in applying lessons learned from the program. MoDOT provided funding for the city of Springfield to build a toolkit based on SGF Yields, namely the SafeAcross program.
This toolkit is now available free of charge. When users enroll as a SafeAcross host community, they will have access to how-to guidance, technical information, public outreach graphics, press release and public service announcement templates, and the Mr. Walker status design files. While the enforcement, school education, and other modules are optional, SafeAcross requests that any communities using these materials follow basic commitments such as regular crosswalk compliance studies and best practices for crosswalk maintenance.
To learn more about the SafeAcross toolkit, click on the button below.
SGF Yields Accomplishments
SGF Yields key accomplishments. Credit: FHWA.
Mandy Büttgen-Quinn City of Springfield Public Works - Traffic Safety Professional City of Springfield, MO (417) 864-1801
Visit the SGF Yields' webpage for more information on the city of Springfield's pedestrian safety program.
