Safety innovations have been a cornerstone of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts (EDC) program since 2011, resulting in their rapid deployment and institutionalization, and the EDC Safety Summit Series builds on that momentum.
The summit series, scheduled for each Wednesday during September, will highlight seven safety initiatives, and share how they can save lives. The series will benefit those who are just beginning to implement these innovations, those who are further along and could gain from peer-to-peer engagement, and those with deployment stories to share. It will include opportunities to discuss hot topics with peers and establish relationships that can boost success now and in the future.
Each day of the series will kick off with FHWA leadership perspectives with opportunities for questions and answers, followed by interactive State and local presentations and a topic-based breakout session, as well as a local innovation safety showcase. There will also be engagement opportunities with other participants and peer-to-peer networking.
The final session of the series is focused on a roadway reconfiguration known as a Road Diet. This innovation offers several high-value improvements at a low cost when applied to traditional four-lane undivided highways. In addition to low cost, the primary benefits of a Road Diet include enhanced safety, mobility and access for all road users and a "complete streets" environment to accommodate a variety of transportation modes. A classic Road Diet typically involves converting an existing four-lane, undivided roadway segment to a three-lane segment consisting of two through lanes and a center, two-way left-turn lane.
The resulting benefits include a crash reduction of 19 to 47 percent, reduced vehicle speed differential, improved mobility and access by all road users, and integration of the roadway into surrounding uses that results in an enhanced quality of life. A key feature of a Road Diet is that it allows reclaimed space to be allocated for other uses, such as turn lanes, bus lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, bike lanes, sidewalks, bus shelters, parking or landscaping.
Topics include:
Road Diet Mythbusters
Rightsizing Streets for Safety and Community
Accessible Roadway Design
Plus takeaways, resources and funding opportunities.