Active Transportation

Complete streets, transit, bikeway, and pedestrian planning, design, and performance measurement

Pedestrian Facilities: Planning & Conceptual Design for Accessibility & Safety

Federal, state and local policies assert that pedestrian facilities are important parts of a multi-modal transportation system. Communities across California are asking for more emphasis on walkability, with facilities that are safe and comfortable for all pedestrians, including those who are disabled.

Recent updates to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD) and the California Highway Design Manual have provided more options and design guidelines. This new course covers principles and good practices, including how to plan, design, and operate a wide range of pedestrian-friendly facilities like sidewalks, crosswalks, and other public spaces adjoining or intersecting the vehicular transportation system.

In this course, application of current standards and guidelines is emphasized and case studies supplement lectures. This course is developed to meet the training needs of professionals charged with preliminary planning, development, or conceptual design of high-quality pedestrian facilities, and will also be valuable for professionals responsible for planning pedestrian-friendly networks, interested in learning how to deliver high-quality facilities, or desiring tools to remodel existing facilities to better serve user needs.

Additional course detail is provided in the sections below.

  • Course Topics
    • Treatment options for safe pedestrian crossings, including signal options and operations
    • Design guidelines & standards for pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, transit stops, and public spaces
    • Integrate safe and attractive pedestrian facilities with motorized traffic, Vision Zero
    • ADA requirements, guidelines, and implementation strategies
    • Formulate community design guidelines to account for pedestrians
    • Integrating pedestrian basic needs and concerns into policies and planning codes
    • Use of GIS tools
  • Course Outline

    Module 1: Policies & Trends Affecting Pedestrians (2.5 hours)

    • What are Complete Streets
      • California Policies
      • Grid Networks
      • Common Tradeoffs
    • Vision Zero
      • Speed Management
    • Future Trends
      • TNCs
      • Autonomous & Connected Vehicles
      • E-scooter & E-bike
    • Interactive Discussion: Hot spot analysis and systematic extrapolation for pedestrian safety issues in Downtown Oakland
    • How to Evaluate Complete Streets
      • Data
      • Metrics
      • Graphical Communication
      • Stakeholder Buy In & Ownership
    • Questions

    Module 2: Public Engagement & Corridor Design (2.5 hours)

    • Active Transportation Program Elements
    • Public Health Considerations
    • Forecasting
    • Innovative Outreach Tools
      • Interactive Web-mapping / Crowdsourcing
      • Text-based Surveys
      • Walk/Bike Audits
      • Pop Up Events
      • Interim Design
    • Funding Sources
    • Corridor Design
      • Shared Use Paths
      • Shoulders
      • ADA Considerations
      • Driveways
      • Transit
      • Midblock Crossings
    • Interactive Discussion: Taylor Street Complete Streets Study, San Francisco
    • Questions

    Module 3: Crosswalks & Intersection Design (2.5 hours)

    • Uncontrolled & Mid-block Crossings
      • Crosswalk Policies
      • Crosswalk Research
      • Crosswalk Design
    • Intersections
      • Geometric Design
      • Crossing Treatments
      • Traffic Signals
      • School Access
    • Roundabouts
    • Interchanges
    • Safety Analysis Approaches
      • Site Analysis
      • Systemic
    • Questions
  • What you will learn

    Students learn how to create a variety of pedestrian-friendly facilities while staying within federal and state standards and guidelines for safety and meeting current ADA requirements.

    Trainees will gain an in-depth understanding of the design considerations that should guide the development of pedestrian master plans and will be better prepared to develop quality designs, apply design principles to inform project planning phases, and address issues that may limit effectiveness of existing facilities.

  • Who should attend

    This course is intended for engineers and planners working for airport authorities, consultants, and government agencies, as well as airport and airline management personnel interested in the technical considerations that need to be taken into account in planning airport development in the post-coronavirus pandemic environment.

    It will also be of interest to those involved in teaching transportation engineering courses or undertaking research on airport-related topics.

  • Course Prerequisites

      [no prerequisites identified]

  • Course Instructors

      Obaid Khan, PE, Senior Project Manager, Gray-Bowen-Scott

      Mr. Khan is a registered Civil Engineer in California with over 28 years of professional experience in civil and transportation engineering. Mr. Khan recently retired from the City of Dublin, where he oversaw the Transportation Division since 2012. After retiring from Dublin, Mr. Khan joined Gray Bowen Scott as a Senior Project Manager. At the City of Dublin, he oversaw the planning, design, and construction of transportation capital projects as well as the operation of all traffic signals, intelligent transportation systems, and management of all transportation facilities.

      Prior to joining the City of Dublin, Mr. Khan managed the Transportation Division at the City of Alameda. At the City of Alameda, he oversaw the City's Transportation Commission and represented the City at various regional forums and committees. He led the development of the City's Pedestrian Master Plan, Bicycle Master Plan, and the update of the City's Transportation Element, including the creation of a multimodal street functional classification system.

      Min Zhou, PE, Principal, KOA Corporation

      With a background in both engineering and planning, Ms. Zhou offers more than 28 years of professional transportation experience in roadway design, traffic engineering, operational analysis, traffic forecast modeling, multimodal operations, and big data management. She has worked across the United States--in the Midwest, and both East and West Coasts. She has traveled to many countries to learn about their transportation systems.

      In recent years, Ms. Zhou has established a reputable expertise in the areas of complete streets, active transportation, and multi-modal transportation in Southern California, and she has managed more than 50 active transportation design and planning projects. Among these projects, Ms. Zhou has developed procedures for walk audits, provided recommendations for pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements, and evaluated toolbox and design features of various pedestrian facilities. Ms. Zhou is a frequent presenter at Institution of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and other professional society conferences.

  • Registration Information

      Registration for this course occurs at the TechTransfer training host site. Use the button to the right to directly access the course page and registration portal. You will be asked to create a user account as part of the registration process.

      A confirmation email will be sent to you within two business days of TechTransfer receiving your paid registration.

      If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the TechTransfer Registrar at (510) 643-4393 or registrar@techtransfer.berkeley.edu.

  • For more information

      To learn more about TechTransfer courses and credits, see their FAQ (https://www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/faq-page).

      To learn more about TechTransfer's cancellation, refund, and substitution policies, see How to Enroll (https://www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/enrollment/how-enroll).

      Cancellation Policy:

      The cancellation fee for this course is $75. At TechTransfer, there are no refunds for classes with registration fees of $75 or less. For all other classes, you may cancel your enrollment and receive a refund of your registration fee less $75, provided they receive your written request to cancel at least 5 full working days before the class is scheduled to begin. In lieu of canceling your registration, you may (1) transfer your registration to another TechTransfer class, (2) receive a tuition credit for the full amount, useable toward a future class, or (3) send a substitute in your place.

      Note: TechTransfer recommends you discuss any possible problems or online security issues with your IT person before you register for any online classes. If you are worried about connectivity issues, please contact the online training coordinator the week before the class to schedule a time to test your system. If you do not test your system and you have technical issues during a live online class, we will not provide a refund.

LTAP Subsidized

This class is offered at a reduced fee to employees of California's city, county, regional, and tribal public agencies

Course Fee

Standard Rate:

Public Agency Rate:

$290

$145

Course Credit

This course grants:

0.75 CEUs

Upcoming Sessions (0)

[not currently scheduled]

Registration

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