Improving Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety in Riverside, CA

There is great potential within the City of Riverside to increase the number of pedestrians and bicyclists. Currently, the largest barrier to this increase is user fear for health and safety. The geographic location of Riverside, which funnels pollutants from the Greater Los Angeles Area into the region, contributes to the region having very few good air days. This creates a barrier between those who potentially would walk or bike from actually doing so due to health risks. The City of Riverside has identified in its Bike Master Plan that it currently has twice as many bicyclists than the national average. One of the main reasons that this number is not higher, although there is an interest among citizens to bike, is the perceived lack of safety of biking within the City. In 2018, there were a reported 88 bicyclist-related and 95 pedestrian-related collisions within the City of Riverside. A large proportion of these collisions occurred in the downtown area. Case studies from the cities of Seattle, Boston, and Los Angeles were examined and recommendations to the City of Riverside are presented based on these findings. Recommendations include adopting a Vision Zero Plan, developing programing to promote safe circulation including expansion of the bike network, and creating specific plans for dangerous corridors

Herbert Hoover Elementary / Charleston Complete Corridor Plan

Completed as a part of CRP 425 bicycle and pedestrian planning, led by Dr. William Riggs, this planning project assessed the Herbert Hoover Elementary site and Charleston corridor in the City of Palo Alto with an aim to bring a complete streets strategy to the area. The plans recommend improved accessibility for bicycles and pedestrians along Charleston Road including modal separation between bicyclists and pedestians, improved vehicular flows to mitigate vehicular traffic congestion during peak hours and increased innovation in safety features to prevent pedestrian-vehicle conflicts