Knoxville Knox County Planning in cooperation with Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) seeks Proposals for the provision of transit planning web-based Software as a Service (SaaS) to assist in planning and analyzing transit and other types of transportation planning efforts for the Knoxville metropolitan planning area.
Broadway Pedestrian Road Safety Assessment Available
In September of 2020, staff from multiple agencies met virtually for a two-day review of pedestrian safety issues along the North Broadway corridor in Knoxville. The TPO’s analysis of pedestrian and bicycle crashes in the region had helped to identify the 1-mile section of Broadway from Hall of Fame Drive to Fairmont Boulevard as a hotspot for traffic crashes involving people walking.
This screenshot from the TPO’s public map shows the cluster of pedestrian-related crashes along this section of Broadway.
The result of these meetings is a Pedestrian Road Safety Assessment Report that is now available for review.
The report outlines near-term, intermediate, and long-term actions that can help increase the safety of people walking along and across this section of Broadway.
Near-term recommendations include:
- Refresh pavement markings and install crosswalks at new locations.
- Landscape vegetation that is obscuring pedestrian visibility.
- Review of intersection signal timing for consideration of protected left turn phasing, right turn on red prohibitions, and other improvements to reduce vehicle turning conflicts.
- Install pedestrian signal heads at signalized intersections and include a lead pedestrian interval (LPI) at those locations with frequent turning vehicle conflicts. Pedestrian signal heads with countdown timers can reduce pedestrian crashes by 25 percent, and LPIs can reduce pedestrian crashes by 13 percent.
Intermediate recommendations include:
- Incorporate coordinated signal phasing in the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) plan.
- Pursue access management improvements to consolidate curb cuts and improve vehicular and pedestrian safety. Begin with temporary measures such as curb stops and flexible delineators.
- Modify intersection geometry to reduce the speed of turning vehicles. These could include reducing turning radii to slow the speed of right turns and hardening center lines to slow left turns. Begin with temporary measures such as flexible delineators, bollards, and pavement markings.
- Improve transit stop infrastructure for those locations with higher ridership to include benches and shelters.
Long-term recommendations include:
- Continue access management and intersection geometric improvements by hardscaping temporary improvements and continuing sidewalks across driveway entrances.
Agencies involved in the process were the TPO, City of Knoxville, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Bike Walk Knoxville and a consultant team hired through FHWA.
Office Closed on MLK Jr. Day
The TPO will be closed Monday, January 18, in observance of MLK Jr. Day. Our office will reopen Tuesday, January 19.
2020 Federally Obligated Projects Now Available
Offices Closed Wednesday, November 11
Title VI Report Available
RFQ/LOI – Regional Pavement Management System
Public Review and Comment Period: Draft Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan
The purpose of the Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan is to identify the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, seniors, and people with low incomes and provide a list of prioritized strategies to meet those needs.
The TPO receives funding from Federal Transit Administration Section 5310, a program designed to improve mobility for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and persons of low-income, which is required to be in the plan. The TPO Executive Board makes the final decision on which projects are selected, and staff are tasked with ensuring that those projects are in keeping with the strategies found within the plan.
The TPO is updating this plan for the first time since 2013 to ensure that identified needs, gaps in current services, strategies for meeting those gaps, and projects within the plan are still up-to-date. A survey was recently distributed to staff, boards, committees, contacts, and clients of local human-service agencies and non-profits to gather opinions and preferences. A report showing a summary of responses is available in the Appendix of the draft
The Plan draws from previous planning efforts as well as feedback received through the survey and key interviews. It is now available for review by stakeholders and interested individuals and will be voted on by the TPO Technical Committee and Executive Board in October. Once approved, it will be incorporated into Mobility Plan 2045, the region’s long-range transportation plan, which will be available in 2021.
The draft HSTCP is available for public comment through Friday, November 6, 2020. The HSTCP will be on the November 25, 2020 TPO Executive Board agenda as an action item for approval. To make comments on the HSTCP or to request any special accommodations please contact Doug Burton at Knoxville Regional TPO – 400 Main Street, Suite 403 Knoxville, TN 37902 – 865-215-3824 – doug.burton@knoxtpo.org.