VCU is an active, urban university that experiences challenges with pedestrian safety, cyclist safety, and anticipated electric scooter user safety. Pedestrian crashes occur at a high frequency across the VCU campus and steps need to be taken to make pedestrians more aware of the dangers they face in traveling on foot. From 2015 to 2018, there were 84 pedestrian accidents with one fatality within the boundaries of VCU. Set against the backdrop of the ONE VCU Master Plan VCU in Motion aims to increase pedestrian safety by developing educational initiatives and signage to help pedestrians understand current state and local traffic laws and adopt best practices. Study of scholarly literature, communication with local stakeholders, and traffic accident data demonstrate a clear need for intervention in order to increase awareness of the risks to pedestrian safety on and around the ONE VCU campus

at Virginia Commonwealth University, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute

Adams, Renee

Dawson Cruz, Tracey

Glover, John

Jackson, Brianne

Marinello, Mark

Pershad, Rashmi

Wasilewski, James

English

VCU Scholars Compass

Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs 2019 VCU In Motion The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University Renee Adams Virginia Commonwealth University Tracey Dawson Cruz Virginia Commonwealth University See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gehli_pubs  Part of the Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gehli_pubs/58 This Research Report is brought to you for free and open access by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact libcompass@vcu.edu. Authors The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University, Renee Adams, Tracey Dawson Cruz, John Glover, Brianne Jackson, Mark Marinello, Rashmi Pershad, and James Wasilewski This research report is available at VCU Scholars Compass: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gehli_pubs/58 VCU IN MOTION TEAM MEMBERS Renee Adams, Clinical Transformation Support Specialist, VCU Health System Tracey Dawson Cruz, Professor, College of Humanities and Sciences John Glover, Humanities Research Librarian, VCU Libraries Brianne Jackson, Senior Instructional Designer, Online @ VCU Mark Marinello, Medical Director, VCU Health System Rashmi Pershad, Associate Director of Research Administration, Training and Compliance, School of Medicine James Wasilewski, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Project Sponsor: Chief John Venuti, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety, VCU Police PROJECT ABSTRACT VCU is an active, urban university that experiences challenges with pedestrian safety, cyclist safety, and anticipated electric scooter user safety. Pedestrian crashes occur at a high frequency across the VCU campus and steps need to be taken to make pedestrians more aware of the dangers they face in traveling on foot. From 2015 to 2018, there were 84 pedestrian accidents with one fatality within the boundaries of VCU. Set against the backdrop of the ONE VCU Master Plan1 VCU in Motion aims to increase pedestrian safety by developing educational initiatives and signage to help pedestrians understand current state and local traffic laws and adopt best practices. Study of scholarly literature, communication with local stakeholders, and traffic accident data demonstrate a clear need for intervention in order to increase awareness of the risks to pedestrian safety on and around the ONE VCU campus. QUEST 2025: TOGETHER WE TRANSFORM Theme III: Collective Urban and Regional Transformation – Mobilize VCU’s human capital and economic resources, collaborating with the community to address social and health inequities Goal III.3: Elevate VCU’s contributions to the region’s economic and cultural vitality Key Strategy: Improve access for the region to VCU’s facilities, intellectual services and civic engagement to address community identified needs and contribute to community problem solving VCU in Motion centers on the relationship of the university with its urban community, tying to Theme III of Quest 2025: Together We Transform. Educating students, faculty, and staff on best practices for pedestrian safety contributes directly to relationships with surrounding neighborhoods and communities, as well as with visitors from the region and farther afield. VCU seeks to learn from and use its role as an urban institution of higher education as an asset to serve as a full partner in supporting community progress and well-being. As this educational plan is disseminated, it will enhance communication between units regarding transportation safety and education of VCU students and employees. VCU in Motion appeals to an intrinsic expectation held by VCU students and employees, visitors, and others passing through campus: pedestrian 1 ONE VCU is the new master plan and a call to action to implement a transformative vision for a unified campus that supports the strategic direction of both the university and VCU Health System. https://masterplan.vcu.edu/media/master-plan/documents/ONEVCU_MasterPlan_FINAL%20med%20res_web.pdf safety. By strengthening VCU’s culture on this issue, this project will improve access at VCU, and address a shared need recognized by both VCU and the community.2  PROJECT GOALS 1. Review current progress to promote pedestrian safety on VCU’s campuses withpermanent or temporary street or sidewalk signage.2. Determine required educational tool for VCU faculty and staff.3. Develop recommendations for student pedestrian safety awareness.VCU in Motion began as an examination of the interaction of pedestrians and cyclists. As the project evolved, and the broader picture of accidents on the ONE VCU campus came into view, the team’s focus shifted toward broad consideration of pedestrian safety, such as projects and initiatives like Vision Zero.3 The initial goals proved feasible targets as the year progressed, and have been met as of the writing of this report.  PROJECT STRATEGIES To complete this project, the team employed three main overlapping strategies. First, they gathered information from news sources, VCU Police, and scholarly literature about pedestrian safety, in order to understand both the scope of the project and a range of possible solutions, including information about existing initiatives, like the VCU Police Crosswalk Safety project.4 Second, the team met with campus and area stakeholders to understand past and present transit and pedestrians experiences on the ONE VCU campus, in order to identify key partners for successful implementation and factors influencing local successes and failures.5 Finally, the team explored opportunities for educational intervention, assessing their members’ and contacts’ skills and resources, in order to increase the chances of developing a workable project. All of this work was carried out according to a timeline calibrated by the VCU Leadership Development Program guidelines and stakeholder availability. It was determined that deliverables for the VCU in Motion project will persist in two forms: A sidewalk decal and an online safety training module.  ACTION STEPS In order to research and develop VCU in Motion, the team took the following steps: ● Regularly met online and in person to strategize and co-work● Collected collision data, studied scholarship, and sought out news pieces covering pedestrianaccidents in the greater Richmond area, especially focusing on VCU● Met with campus and local stakeholders to gather data and understand needs:○ Councilman Andreas Addison (City of Richmond)○ Ms. Louise Lockett Gordeon (Bike Walk RVA)○ Dr. Damian Pitt (Chair, Urban and Regional Studies/Planning, VCU)○ Chief John Venuti (AVP for Public Safety, VCU)● Shifted focus on project, realigning goals and resources● Ride-along with Captain Jonathan Siok (VCU Police)2 Bryan, Alix. (2017, June 9). Retired VCU English teacher killed on morning run through Fan. WTVR. Retrieved from https://www.wtvr.com. O’Brien, Kerri. (2019, June 10). Caught on camera: Drivers ignoring Richmond crosswalk. WRIC. Retrieved from https://www.wric.com.  3 Vision Zero is a multidisciplinary global strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/VisionZero.aspx 4 VCU Division of Administration major projects: https://administration.vcu.edu/projects/ 5 The stakeholders the team met with included Councilman Andreas Addison, City of Richmond; Louise Lockett Gordon, Director, Bike Walk RVA; Damian Pitt, Chair, Urbana and Regional Studies/Planning Program, VCU; Chief John Venuti, VCU Assistant Vice President for Public Safety ● Design and prototyping of street signage/decal to improve overall safety, inspired by past workfrom a Brandcenter student project● Exploration of training modalities, eventually creating 20-30 minute online education module● Field work to photograph sites to use in education module● Meeting to update Project Sponsor and get feedback on draft deliverables● Presentation at VCU PD downtown location to stakeholders in order to solicit further feedbackand move toward finalizing project deliverablesSteps necessary to implement VCU in Motion include: ● Approval by VCU and City of Richmond to apply semi-permanent designs to sidewalks● Approval by VCU of online education module, and determination of means and timing ofdelivery to students and employees● Funding to create and apply semi-permanent designs to sidewalksOUTCOMES The overall desired outcome for VCU in Motion is a heightened awareness among pedestrians of their environment, obligations, and best practices for life safety on the ONE VCU campus. For a solid intellectual framework for that awareness, the team planned, designed, and iterated an online interactive education module that takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete. To provide environmental stimulus to contribute to pedestrian awareness, the team planned, designed, and iterated a logo that can be adapted to multiple settings, with the primary intention of application to the sidewalk adjacent to intersections. Both the module and the design have been, as of early Fall 2019, delivered to relevant VCU units in order to explore implementation. SUSTAINABILITY The online training module will be housed in Rise360, for which VCU has an institution-wide license. The module can be copied, edited and updated as needed by VCU Human Resources once the module is completed, and, to whom the module will be turned over upon completion of the project. The decals are semi-permanent, once approved by the City of Richmond. As this has been one of the primary goals of Associate Vice President for public safety for VCU and VCU Health in regards to public safety upgrades, the VCU Police will print and apply the decals in collaboration with other campus departments once the team has turned over the final decal design. The decal will also be available as a graphic file for use by the VCU Police on handouts and other educational material in support of public safety. FINANCING AND RESOURCES VCU in Motion has been financed using two means including sunk costs. VCU employees designed the graphics and the online education module in-kind. Resources used include existing university computer hardware and software, licenses, and server capacity. VCU Police resources covered the cost of trial versions of the decal. Should the decals be implemented, the cost will vary substantially depending on the number of locations where deployed, whether the City of Richmond or other entities contribute funding, and the rate of decal wear vs. desire and funding for replacement, if pedestrian response is good, and the decals prove effective. At present, VCU Police Department is proposing to pilot the decals in two locations, and is currently awaiting city approval to finalize these locations. After the pilot, AVP Venuti will have the decals placed in four locations, and estimates the cost to be around $1000 per decal.  Project Budget Item Description Justification Cost 1. Training Module VCU community education Existing labor of current VCU employees to create and to update 2. Decals Promote pedestrian safety VCU PD covering pilot version of this Total $0.00 RECOMMENDATIONS The team recommends that VCU explore implementation of the online training module for VCU students and employees, as well as a pilot program of application of decals to sidewalks on the ONE VCU campus. After 12 months of feedback, the online module could be physically modified by VCU Human Resources to account for feedback, from VCU Police and others, and pedestrian-vehicle accident statistics could be correlated with decal location in order to assess effectiveness. Future research could include more detailed study of motor vehicle, bicycle, and scooter/moped traffic patterns, and/or distribution to a wider audience, including the City of Richmond. FINAL PITCH  Traffic accident data on the ONE VCU campus confirms the initial suppositions of the VCU in Motion team, that busy campus streets incur accidents and could be made safer. By pursuing a strategy of community education and street-level signage, the team aspires to improve life safety on and around VCU property. Long term trends in traffic accident data will reflect improving levels of awareness of traffic laws and expectations, and a greater sense of safety on the ONE VCU campus. REFERENCES Bryan, Alix. (2017, June 9). Retired VCU English teacher killed on morning run through Fan. WTVR. Retrieved from https://www.wtvr.com. Hatfield, J., & Prabhakharan, P. (2016). An investigation of behaviour and attitudes relevant to the user safety of pedestrian/cyclist shared paths. Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, 40, 35-47. Kwan, I., & Mapstone, J. (2002). Interventions for increasing pedestrian and cyclist visibility for the prevention of death and injuries. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (2), 1-33.O’Brien, Kerri. (2019, June 10). Caught on camera: Drivers ignoring Richmond crosswalk. WRIC. Retrieved from https://www.wric.com. Safe and Healthy Streets Commission, CIty of Richmond. (2018) Vision zero Richmond, Virginia: Safer roads for all modes. Retrieved from http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/documents/VisionZero-RichmondActionPlan.pdf Stoker, P., Garfinkel-Castro, A., Khayesi, M., Odero, W., Mwangi, M. N., Peden, M., & Ewing, R. (2015). Pedestrian safety and the built environment: a review of the risk factors. Journal of Planning Literature, 30(4), 377-392. DECAL DESIGN    2018 CRASH MAP  CRASH DATA        Dream Team 2019VCU IN MOTIONThe Team Brianne L. Jackson, Ph.D. James WasilewskiMark Marinello, MDJohn GloverRashmi PershadTracey Dawson Cruz, Ph.D. Renee AdamsThe Problem US Cities Adopting  Vision Zero Guide to crash markers: 2015‐Yellow2016‐Blue2017‐Green2018‐PurpleCRASH MAP of VCU police jurisdiction prepared by Officer Wiggins  from DMV FR‐300data for period 2015‐2018VCU in Motion: Scope of the ProblemLocations with the highest frequency of pedestrian/vehicle crashes (Source: VCU PD) • Main/Belvidere• Grace/Belvidere• Broad/Harrison• Grace/HarrisonONE VCU Campus: 4‐year Crash DataIt can happen to you...The Plan of Action VCU in Motion: Project Goals1. Review current efforts to promote pedestrian safety on VCU’s campuses2. Develop educational tools for faculty/staff3. Develop recommendations for student pedestrian safety awarenessTheme III: Goal III.3• Educating students, faculty,and staff on best practicesfor pedestrian safety• Community well‐being• Potential for data to informhow to engineer a moresafe environmentQuest 2025: Together We Transform• City of Richmond and VCU approvals needed for permanent or semi-permanent signage or graphics• Funding for signage or sidewalk displays• Online education module approval by VCU– Means and timing of delivery– AudiencesVCU in Motion: Implementation Hurdles1. Gather information• News sources• VCU Police• Literature2. Identify & meet with VCU safety stakeholders• Assess current issues & historical information3. Explore opportunities for educational intervention• Assess team members skills & resourcesVCU in Motion: Project StrategiesOur Advisor John VenutiAssociate Vice President for Public Safety at VCU and VCU HealthVCU in Motion: StakeholdersVCU and VCU Health Public SafetyCity of Richmond ‐ Department of Public Works ‐Transportation Engineering DivisionCity of Richmond ‐ Department of Public Works ‐Pedestrian, Bicycling and TrailsBike Walk RVAVCU Student AffairsVCU Health Human Resources (Training)Richmond City CouncilVCU Health Safety and Risk ManagementVCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs (Urban and Regional Studies/Planning)VCU Human Resources (Training)VCU PoliceCity of Richmond Police					  		VCU in Motion: Key Takeaways 				 !"#		$%		 	&&$&		%			'	&	(	$				 The Outcomes1. Sidewalk Decal– Idea– Brand Center design– Our design• Revisions• Final version• Current state of progressVCU in Motion: Outcomes & Deliverable• Design and prototyping of street signage/decal toimprove overall safety, inspired by past work from aBrandcenter student projectVCU in Motion: Action StepsDecal Evolution...2. Training Module for HRModule Objectives:• Explain pedestrian laws for the City of Richmond and the State of Virginia;• Identify the characteristics of a safe pedestrian on campus;• Describe potential dangers to pedestrians on campus; and• Recount current safety measures happening on campus.Outcomes & DeliverablesModule/Course OutlineConsiderations of ONE VCU Multiple Modalities of LearningFinal Exportable AssessmentThe Future• Permanent Decals– Need regulatory revision and approval as required by the City of Richmond, VCU and other relevant entities– Collect and examine safety data for pilot intersections after 12 months– Expand to additional intersectionsVCU in Motion: Project Sustainability: DecalsVCU in Motion: Program Sustainability: Education Module• VCU Human Resources maintain andevaluate– Approvals and revisions as needed• Expand training module– Incorporate information on additional transportation modes• Bicycles, scooters, skateboards and more– Create access to targeted populations • All VCU students and employees• Greater Richmond communityThe Grace E. Harris Leadership InstituteProject Sponsor and AdvisorJohn Venuti, Associate Vice President for Public Safety at VCU and VCU HealthSelected collaborators and stakeholders: Councilman Andreas Addison, City of RichmondLouise Lockett Gordon, Director, Bike Walk RVADamian Pitt, Chair, Urban and Regional Studies/Planning Program, VCU Wilder SchoolAll contributing organizations and agenciesVCU in Motion: THANKS to our PARTNERSThe VCU Leadership Development Program is a commitment.  We appreciate the support of our colleagues and supervisors! College of Humanities and SciencesOnline@VCUL. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public AffairsSchool of MedicineVCU HealthVCU LibrariesVCU in Motion: THANKS to our COLLEAGUES AND SUPERVISORS

VCU In Motion

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VCU In Motion

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