Following injuries to two students at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth earlier this year, city officials and the university have implemented safety measures to allow pedestrians cross Montgomery Street safely.
Following its latest incident, the UNTHSC campus and Fort Worth added in-street pedestrian crossing signs at each crosswalk throughout the roughly quarter mile stretch of road. Other safety efforts included a speed limit reduction to 25 miles per hour.
These efforts, however, are just a short-term solution as described by Chelsea St. Louis, senior capital projects officer with the city’s transportation and public works.
“We met with the UNT Health Sciences Center in March,” said St. Louis. “They were very concerned considering the severity of the incident. At that time, what we talked about was near-term improvements that we can make as well as long-term improvements.”
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
Potential solutions along Montgomery Street
St. Louis said the city recommended implementing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) crossings on the campus’ stretch on Montgomery Street.
RRFB crossings consist of two separate yellow rectangular indicators which signals drivers with LED light bars. RRFBs are meant to draw more attention to pedestrians compared to an unprotected crosswalk.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, RRFBs can reduce pedestrian injuries by up to 47% and increase motorist yields by 98%.
Another crosswalk system is the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons, or HAWK Beacon, which is utilized less than a mile east on University Drive by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The HAWK Beacon boasts a higher safety percentage with a 55% reduction in pedestrian crashes.
But St. Louis says the HAWK Beacon may not be the best fit for the UNTHSC.
“For HAWK signals, there’s usually a very large volume of pedestrians crossing,” said St. Louis. “What’s unique about UNT-Health Sciences Center is that they don’t really have peak periods. For those smaller volumes of pedestrians that are crossing along Montgomery Street, having the RRFB would be a more appropriate solution for that context.”
St. Louis believes that HAWK Beacons could be beneficial for other crossings pointing to the pedestrian-dense Texas Christian University. But due to low foot traffic, the RRFB signals are a better implementation for the UNTHSC.
This safety project is part of two larger efforts by Fort Worth known as the Master Transportation Plan and the Vision Zero Safety Action Plan.
The Master Transportation Plan is a 25-year plan aimed at laying out the department’s capital planning which included bond proposals and infrastructure plans.
Meanwhile, the Vision Zero Safety Action Plan is geared more to situations like the one at the UNTHSC. Last year, Fort Worth received a Federal Highway Administration funding award to create a “comprehensive safety action plan.”
That safety plan is called “Moving a Million” and is in its early stages with 18 months until the plan is complete.
As far as Montgomery Street, St. Louis could not provide a timeline as this proposal is in its early stages.
Concerns over pedestrian safety persist amid efforts for improvement
Students are concerned as some cars do not always obey the traffic signs, sometimes speeding past the 25-mile-per-hour limit. Those concerns are elevated at night for first year student Arvind Mohan.
“For the most part, things have been good,” said Mohan. “But I think if it were late at night, that I would feel more unsafe here. I know some intersections have a light or a button you can press to kind of visually signal someone is about to cross. I think that is something that could be implemented.”
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela
Student Jimmy Le says he too believes not all drivers take the safety precautions as seriously as they should.
“So far, I haven’t had anything go too crazy,” said Le. “I do know sometimes people are kind of careless and they do kind of just speed through unfortunately.”
The UNTHSC is not allowed to implement any safety measures as the city, not the university, has the jurisdiction over Montgomery Street.
St. Louis also mentions that there may have been incidents or close calls that were not reported that add to the severity of the situation.
“Sometimes collisions happen, and people don’t report them,” St. Louis said. “There’s also the instances of near misses, and those are those situations where there could have been potential for a collision, but it didn’t occur.”
In a statement, UNTHSC Vice President of Marketing and Communications Andy North reiterated the campus’ commitment to collaboration with Fort Worth.
“We have collaborated with the city to prioritize the pedestrian safety needs around our campus and ensure the safety of our students, staff and community,” North said. “Because of these interactions, the City of Fort Worth has already upgraded the pedestrian crosswalk signs on Montgomery and is considering other longer-term solutions. The decision on which of the recommendations or if others will be implemented rests with the city.”
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA’s summer 2024 SPJ news intern. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela at erivas@kera.org.
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