Pedestrian Safety
Johns Hopkins University has initiated pedestrian safety improvements on and around the Homewood campus, Peabody campus and East Baltimore campus over the past three years. The improvements consist of crosswalk markings and upgrades, new and improved signage, pedestrian lead phases and countdown timers on city-controlled intersections and marketing campaigns. JHU has partnered with Baltimore City DOT to make many of the improvements.
JHU is investing in several large projects aimed at improving pedestrian safety.
N. Charles Street
JHU is an equal partner with Baltimore City in funding the N. Charles St. reconstruction project. This $28 million project, with $2 million from JHU, improves N. Charles St. from 25th St. to University Parkway (10 blocks) by completely re-working the travel lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting and landscape. Project is well underway and scheduled for completion in late 2014.
San Martin Drive
Early in FY14, JHU completed installation of three raised crosswalks (speed humps) on San Martin Drive, with support from Baltimore City DOT. One at Olin Hall, one at the Muller Building (Space Telescope) and one at the crossing to the Stony Run path, just south of the US Lacrosse Building. This project also included updated pedestrian signage and bicycle lane markings and signage.
JHU initiated a significant, longer-term project on the entire length of San Martin Drive in FY14, with construction expected in FY15 and FY16. This will consist of new and wider pedestrian paths on San Martin Drive, including a pedestrian bridge to connect the portions of roadway where sidewalks are infeasible between Olin Hall and the San Martin Center. The project is currently in the engineering and permit phases, with construction expected over the next two years.
33rd Street and St. Paul Street area
As JHU works with a developer on the 3200 St. Paul Street project, we look for ways to incorporate improved pedestrian safety in this area. We have already partnered with Baltimore City DOT to update and improve the intersection of St. Paul and 33rd Streets, and are now researching the potential of wider sidewalks, two-way traffic, transit hubs and other pedestrian related improvements.
East Baltimore Campus
JHU has initiated a research project through the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, funded by Maryland Highway Safety Office Grant #GN-JH Health-2013-174
Project Objectives:
- To design a comprehensive pedestrian safety program that will address the immediate needs of a high-risk area
- To pilot test the program to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness
- To create a user-friendly guide based on study results and disseminate it for use by other high-risk urban areas to promote pedestrian safety
Geographic Target Area: Johns Hopkins East Baltimore Campus, specifically the area bordered by N. Chester, Orleans, N. Caroline, and E. Eager Streets
Based on the information collected from these activities, we will develop, implement, and evaluate a communication campaign that may also include enforcement activities such as issuing warnings to unlawful drivers and pedestrians and positive reinforcements to pedestrians who model safe walking behavior when crossing the street. Several creative ideas for the campaign will be tested with focus groups that will include community members before deciding on final concepts and messages.
The communication campaign will run for 6 months, from approximately October 2013 through March 2014, after which we will collect post-campaign measures and compare them to the pre-campaign measures of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Findings and communication materials will be widely disseminated for use by other urban areas, including other academic institutions in Baltimore.
