Pedestrian Safety Research Paper

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4.4 Fences, Pedestrian Walkways and Jersey Barrier Although worker safety is important, pedestrians’ safety is also important to consider. Almost all the sites we visited had high tarped fences or walls that surrounded the perimeter of the site and were organized in a way that it is not directly beside construction work. This ensures that no pedestrians can trespass onto the site and that no materials from the site encroach onto public space. For sites where the sidewalk had to be relocated, pedestrian walkways and Jersey barriers were installed to provide a temporary protected route for the pedestrians. This will be explored more in depth in the next section. Construction’s effect on Local Residents, Pedestrians, and Vehicle Traffic …show more content…

It uses a luffing crane, so an overhead protected walkway made of wooden boards was installed on Avenue Road. The main features of this can be seen in figure 6, where we see boards were placed on sloped metal scaffolding supported by vertical metal scaffolding in Jersey barriers on Avenue road. This pedestrian walkway cut 1 lane of traffic on Avenue Road since the original sidewalk was used for materials’ storage. To provide adequate lighting under the overhead protection, light bulbs have been installed. Overall, as seen in figure 6, this pedestrian walkway appears sturdy due to the Jersey barriers on the left, well maintained scaffolding that was rust free, and also provides adequate lighting and protects pedestrians. The downside of this is that vehicle congestion increased since 1 lane was removed, which was especially visible as we visited around 3:30 PM, when the extra lane would have reduced congestion. On the site’s south side, where pedestrian traffic was not as much of an issue, the sidewalk was used for storage without overhead protection. Jersey barriers were again used, but here they prevented cars from driving into the site. This cut traffic on Cumberland Ave. from 2 to 1 lanes. Deliveries also come in this side, which temporarily stops traffic as observed. When we were there, a delivery took several minutes and stopped cars, annoying drivers. Overall, Cumberland Avenue was …show more content…

It only has 1 side of the site facing the street, this time on Yorkville Ave., affecting vehicle traffic less than YP2 since Yorkville is less busy than Avenue. On the adjacent east side, there is a small storage area protected by steel mesh fence. This keeps the street and sidewalk clear, as opposed to YP2. Main features of this are seen in figure 7, where overhead protection is held in place by a scaffold system with sloped beams overhead to allow runoff. The vertical scaffolds are placed on wood supports that distribute weight equally, and were installed by a subcontractor who specializes in scaffolding (according to Prof. McCabe in the recording). This system appears sturdy, and is high enough to walk under with an umbrella, as seen in the figure. In terms of vehicular traffic, no lanes were cut on Yorkville, so there is little permanent vehicle disruption. Deliveries do not come from the street as there is a small driveway area for deliveries on the site’s west side. However, large trucks would slow traffic since the street is narrow. Thus, while overall vehicle traffic is not severely affected, it will be affected when deliveries are frequent, such as when steel is delivered for the frame. Finally, across the road is a residential building, meaning that noise will affect residents and work will have to end before 7 PM to comply with Toronto’s

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