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1 <br /> <br />CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION <br />The development of the Pedestrian Crosswalk Policy Development Guidelines was identified and <br />supported by local agencies in Minnesota because of the need to improve consistency of the methods <br />and approach that local agencies use to address crosswalks. It is believed that improving the consistency <br />of the approach from one community to the next will improve pedestrian safety. <br />The approach to providing guidelines consisted of three key parts: <br /> Reviewing the literature documenting the results of previously published research <br /> Surveying local agencies in Minnesota on their practices and policies for crosswalks <br /> Development of Quick Reference Fact Sheets on different crosswalk treatments <br />While working through this project, the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) determined that the question on <br />when to mark a crosswalk was an agency decision and that providing standard policy language would <br />not be useful. Instead this document provides several existing agency policies in the Appendix that other <br />agencies can use if they choose. An assortment of policies is provided in the Appendix and includes <br />policies from both large and small cities and both rural and urban counties across Minnesota. <br />During our research, we found that the primary information agencies use that provides guidance for <br />decisions on how to mark crosswalks comes from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Because <br />this information is very useful, the TAP determined that this study should take the guidance from FHWA <br />and apply it in a more meaningful way for local agencies in Minnesota. This document outlines the <br />literature research completed and the local agency survey results. <br />The documents provided in the Appendix primarily focus on the question of how a crosswalk should be <br />enhanced with additional countermeasures, if any, once the decision is made to mark it. There are <br />several tools available, but it can be somewhat unclear as to when each tool should be used. To provide <br />consistency, the TAP determined that the guidance provided in FHWA’s Guide for Improving Pedestrian <br />Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations, July 2018, provided the guidance that Minnesota should <br />follow. The scope of this project was then changed to provide a user-friendly way for agencies to use <br />this information without having to read the full report. A quick reference guide was developed from the <br />FHWA report that helps agencies determine when to use different countermeasures based on roadway <br />type, vehicle volumes, and posted speed limits. In addition, fact sheets for twelve different <br />countermeasures identified in the document were developed to explain what the benefit of each one is,