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17 <br />POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL SIDEWALKS <br />28/I <br />INTRODaUCTION <br />These guidelines provide a procedure for implementing the Pedestrian Policy adopted <br />by the Board=of Transportation in August 1993 and the. Board of Transportation Resolution <br />September 8, 2000. The Pedestrian Policy addresses TIP projects and makes an important <br />distinction between "considering the needs- of pedestrians to avoid creating hazards to <br />pedestrian movements" and the concept of "facilitating pedestrian- movements for other <br />reasons." Consequently, these guidelines are divided-into three main sections: <br />1) Considering the needs of pedestrians to avoid creating hazards. <br />2) Quantifying the need for pedestrian facilities. <br />3) Requirements for DOT funding. <br />CONSIDERING THE NEEDS OF PEDESTRIANS <br />TO AVOID CREATING HAZARDS <br />Section "d" ofihe Pedestrian Policy states: "In the planning, design and construction <br />of TIP transportation projects, the DOT shall consider. the needs of pedestrians and will not <br />create hazards to pedestrian movements." This means that during each phase of a project, a <br />DOT employee should consider how the project will affect pedestrian movements. If the <br />project will create a hazard to pedestrian movement, the DOT should use engineering <br />judgment and find a way to remove the hazard. A hazard in this context is defined as a <br />situation when pedestrian movements are physically blocked in a manner which forces <br />pedestrians -to use another mode of transportation, or walk in an automobile traffic lane <br />(parallel with the automobile traffic) to pass as a barrier. <br />This does not mean that the DOT should build pedestrian facilities on all TIP <br />projects. However, it does mean that the DOT should consider how projects will affect <br />pedestrians and how projects can be designed to accommodate vehicular demands without <br />creating barriers to pedestrians. Hazards can be divided into two categories, lateral barriers <br />and perpendicular barriers. Lateral barriers prevent pedestrians from traveling parallel to the <br />roadway. Perpendicular barriers prevent pedestrians from crossing a roadway. <br />The concept of "not creating a hazard" is intended to allow municiparties to have the <br />flexibility to add pedestrian facilities as part of the project or in the future after the TIP <br />project is complete. Because bridges are so expensive and because they often have useful <br />lives over fifty years, bridges should be given special consideration when pedestrian travel is <br />anticipated. <br />EFF. DATE 12/1/76 5 <br />REV. DATE 4/16/01 <br />