The June 2003 Traffic Safety for School Areas outlined by ADOT provides methods for selecting and identifying school sites, for providing safety for off-site facilities (such as logical routes from residences and street crossings), and for establishing a School Safety Program. However, they should not replace field observation of actual pedestrian routes, and the provision of additional safe and secure support systems, including traffic control devices.
Bear in mind that school crossings are governed by A.R.S. 28-797. Refer to the "How-To" pages in this document to see how-to organize a Safe Route to School program in a community.
In addition to the guidance offered by ADOT, www.walktoschool-usa.org offers classes, technical assistance and free downloads that can help parent organizations, schools and neighborhoods organize a safe route to school program. 17
Establish a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) program and plan review process.
The CPTED program is a review process that evaluates whether proposed improvements within any given project will create security concerns for project users. The CPTED review looks mainly at visibility issues, and "provides minimum standards to safeguard property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction quality of material, …location and maintenance of all buildings and structures." CPTED included four strategies: natural surveillance, territorial reinforcement, natural access control, and target hardening. Each of these strategies is relevant to creating a safe pedestrian environment.
Natural surveillance is promoted by features that maximize visibility of people, parking areas and building entrances; pedestrian friendly sidewalks and streets; front porches; and adequate nighttime lighting.
Territorial reinforcement is related to the principle of scale and discussed in the previous section. It is promoted by features that distinguish private from public spaces which include and are not limited to landscape plantings, pavement designs, and gateway treatments.
Natural access control is gained by designing streets, sidewalks, building entrances, and neighborhood gateways to clearly indicate public routes and discourage access to private areas.
Target hardening is focused on features that prohibit entry or access relevant to pedestrian facilities such as restrooms, where creating a secure environment is important to personal safety.18
CPTED considerations are important to designing pedestrian areas, and for areas considered for potential pedestrian use because pedestrians must not only be safe, they must feel safe or they will not walk.
Establish a regular maintenance schedule for facilities adjacent to pedestrian areas.
Regular maintenance of an area can increase the sense of security of the pedestrian. Buildings must be kept in good repair. Facade improvement should include enhancements to the pedestrian experience. Vacant lots should be weed-free, clean, and preferably put to a temporary, pedestrian oriented use. Infrastructure such as lighting, plantings, roads, and sidewalks should be in good repair and monitored regularly. Phone numbers, websites, and other contact information should be made available to the public so users can contribute to better maintenance by reporting problems. Graffiti should be eradicated on a consistent basis. The level of maintenance in a community reflects the level of investment being made and perceived commitment to a community.
