http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov

FHWA Safety Program

Safety Benefi ts of Walkways,

Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders
In a suburban community a six lane road is built. It has 

businesses on both sides of the street, driveways, and 

bus stops. Students often walk along the shoulder to 

get to school, restaurants, and nearby shops. Along 

the edge of the road, footprints in the grass leave dirt 

paths. For pedestrians it is dangerous, inaccessible, 

and uncomfortable to walk along this roadway — they 

need a sidewalk. 

Photo Credit: Michael Ronkin

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Safety Benefi ts of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders

Walkways

Annually, around 4,500 pedestrians are killed in traffi c crashes with motor vehicles in the United 

States.1 Pedestrians killed while “walking along the roadway” account for almost 8 percent 

of these deaths.2 Many of these tragedies are preventable. Providing walkways separated 

from the travel lanes could help to prevent up to 88 percent of these “walking along roadway 

crashes.”3

Walkways can be provided by constructing either stabilized or paved surfaces separated from 

the roadway, or by widening paved shoulders. These treatments can not only improve the 

safety of pedestrians, but also make pedestrian trips more viable. 

Providing walkways for pedestrians dramatically increases how well pedestrians perceive their 

needs are being met along roadways.4 The wider the separation is between the pedestrian 

and the roadway, the more comfortable the pedestrian facility. 

Photo Credit: www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden

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Safety Benefi ts of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders
Benefi ts of Sidewalks

Sidewalks separated from the roadway are the preferred accommodation for pedestrians. 

Sidewalks provide many benefi ts including safety, mobility, and healthier communities.

In addition to reducing walking along roadway crashes, sidewalks reduce other pedestrian 

crashes. Roadways without sidewalks are more than twice as likely to have pedestrian crashes 

as sites with sidewalks on both sides of the street.5 By providing sidewalks on both sides of the 

street, numerous midblock crossing crashes can be eliminated. 

By providing facilities that 

are more comfortable, 

we can increase the 

number of trips made 

by walking, particularly 

in areas with mixed 

land uses.6 Moreover, 

we can better serve our 

local populations. Many 

people cannot drive 

a car and are reliant 

on walking and public 

transit for transportation. 

Children, older adults,and 

people with disabilities 

make up a substantial 

portion of the population 

— up to 37 percent in some States.7 Other people might choose to walk if they had better 

accommodations. Providing sidewalks, widened paved shoulders, or stabilized shoulders — 

particularly when providing access to transit and schools — can increase the transportation 

options for these individuals. Additionally, by moving pedestrians off the travel lanes, motorists 

operations are improved and capacity increased. 

Research also indicates that people will walk for recreational purposes if a facility is provided.6 

Recreational walking is one of the easiest ways for people to get the recommended allotment 

of physical exercise each day. 

Photo Credit: www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden

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Safety Benefi ts of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders

Benefi ts of Paved Shoulders

Paved shoulders provide numerous safety benefi ts for motorists as well as benefi ts for 

pedestrians. Providing or widening paved shoulders has the following benefi ts: 

• Provides a stable surface off of the 

roadway for pedestrians to use when 

sidewalks cannot be provided

• Reduces numerous crash types including 

the following:

— Head on crashes (15%-75% reported 

reduction)8

— Sideswipe crashes (15%-41%)8

— Fixed object crashes (29%-49%)8

— Pedestrian (walking along roadway) 

crashes (71%)8

• Improves roadway drainage

• Increases effective turning radii at intersections

• Reduces shoulder maintenance requirements

• Provides emergency stopping space for broken down vehicles

• Provides space for maintenance operations and snow storage

• Provides space for variable message signs

• Provides an increased level of comfort for bicyclists4

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Photo Credit: Michael Ronkin
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Before the installation of sidewalks, 

Dale Mabry Highway (SR580) in 

Tampa, Florida was not a place 

anyone would feel comfortable 

walking. Dale Mabry is a commercial 

corridor with six lanes of traffi c, a fi ve 

foot shoulder, and transit service 

stopping along the route. Many 

vehicles using this corridor are 

traveling faster than the 45 mph 

posted speed limit and pedestrian 

crashes were all too common. Even 

before construction was completed, 

pedestrians were using the sidewalks. 

Pedestrians can now walk in a safe 

location off the roadway/shoulders on 

separated accessible sidewalks.

Photo Credit: Bruce Landis

Before / During Construction

Photo Credit: Jennifer Bartlett

After Construction

Case Study: Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Florida

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Safety Benefi ts of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders

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1

 NHTSA, Traffi c Safety Facts 2008 Pedestrians, NHTSA, Washington, D.C., 2009.

2

 FHWA, Pedestrian and Bicycle Crashes of the Early 1990’s. Publication No. FHWA- RD-95-163, FHWA, 1995.

3

 FHWA, An Analysis of Factors Contributing to “Walking Along Roadway” Crashes: Research Study and Guidelines for Sidewalks and Walkways. 

Report No. FHWA-RD-01-101, FHWA, Washington D.C., 2001. 

4 NCHRP Report 616, Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets, TRB, Washington D.C., 2008.

5

 FHWA Investigation of Exposure-Based Pedestrian Accident Areas: Crosswalks, Sidewalks, Local Streets, and Major Arterials. 

Publication No. FHWA/RD87-038, FHWA, Washington, D.C., 1987. 

6

 Florida Department of Transportation, Conserve by Bicycle and Pedestrian Study Phase II. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, 2009.

7

 FHWA, FHWA University Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation: Student Workbook. FHWA, Washington, D.C., July 2005. 

8

 Florida Department of Transportation, Update of Florida Crash Reduction Factors and Countermeasures to improve the Development of District 

Safety Improvement Projects. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, 2005.

9

 Lindley, J., Guidance Memorandum on Consideration and Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures FHWA, Washington D.C., July 2008. 

Guidance Statement/Application:

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Guidance Memorandum on Consideration and 

Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures offers the following guidance for the

application of sidewalks and shoulders:

Accessible sidewalks or pathways should be provided and maintained along both 

sides of streets and highways in urban areas, particularly near school zones and transit 

locations, and where there is frequent pedestrian activity. 

Sidewalks should be considered the preferred treatment for accommodating pedestrians in 

urban areas and where frequent pedestrian use is expected. For less developed areas with 

occasional pedestrian traffi c expected, the Guidance Memorandum provides the following: 

Walkable shoulders (minimum of 4 feet stabilized or paved surface) should be provided 

along both sides of rural highways...9 

For more information, visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/memo071008/ 

Safety Benefi ts of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders

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For More Information:

For more information, visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike

FHWA, Offi ce of Safety

Tamara Redmon

tamara.redmon@dot.gov

202-366-4077

FHWA-SA-10-022