FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Third quarter crosswalk assessments conducted by the City’s SGF Yields pedestrian safety program indicate that driver compliance has increased to an average of 59% across Springfield. This is an increase of seven percentage points compared to second quarter 2022.
The quarterly assessment, performed by Springfield Public Works Traffic Operations division since 2017, evaluates driver compliance at six crosswalk sites with similar traffic speeds and characteristics. Two locations are studied every quarter as a control group. The remaining sites are selected from each of the four City Council zones. Results from each location are averaged to produce a snapshot of driver compliance across the city.
Study sites for the third quarter of 2022 included crosswalks on Boonville Avenue near Central Street, Lone Pine Avenue near Allen Street, Bennett Street at Delaware Avenue, Grant Avenue north of Talmage, Broadmoor Avenue at Weaver Street and St Louis Street near the Springfield Expo Center.
Springfield’s crosswalk yielding average began at 25% of drivers yielding when crosswalk assessments started in 2017. Since then, efforts in public education, crosswalk improvements, amendments to local crosswalk regulations and crosswalk enforcement Yield Checks, have made an impact on local driving habits. Crosswalk improvements include construction of pedestrian refuge medians, raised crosswalks and installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at multiple crosswalks. Recently, SGF Yields partnered with five neighborhoods to organize Lantern Walk events to help shine a light on pedestrian safety.
“The month of October has been designated as National Pedestrian Safety Month by the Federal Highway Administration,” explains Traffic Safety professional Mandy Buettgen-Quinn. “It has been a pedestrian-focus-filled month with five successful neighborhood Lantern Walks, the relaunch of Yield Checks enforcement events with the Springfield Police Department, and now the announcement that our compliance numbers are continuing their upward trend. With this much activity and education, we’re hopeful to see continued progress in the fourth quarter.”
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For more information, contact Communication Coordinator Kristen Milam at 573-819-3713 or [email protected].