Research Guides Countermeasure 

Selection in Boulder

City of Boulder Transportation Division

KEY ELEMENTS:

Field work

Data-driven

The City of Boulder merged research and userfriendly tools to create guidelines that provide 

recommendations for pedestrian countermeasures at 

controlled and uncontrolled crossing locations. 

Boulder's Pedestrian Crossing Treatment 

Installation Guidelines incorporate a fourstep selection procedure that is designed 

to recommend appropriate pedestrian 

countermeasures. 

Figure 1. Boulder’s four-step evaluation crossing treatment 

selection procedure.1

STEP 1: IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF 

CROSSING LOCATION

Public requests and the City's Transportation 

Master Plan are used to create a list 

of potential crossing improvement 

locations. The City then records the basic 

characteristics of the crossing location 

under study. This includes the location 

(e.g., address, cross-street), posted speed, 

presence of existing traffic control devices 

and cross treatments, and connectivity to 

multi-use paths (if at all).

STEP 2: PHYSICAL DATA COLLECTION

After Step 1, the City conducts a site 

visit of the location to gather roadway 

information. Information required for this 

step includes number of lanes, presence 

and nature of medians, distance to closest 

marked crossing, and sight distance.

STEP 3: TRAFFIC DATA COLLECTION AND 

OPERATIONAL OBSERVATIONS

Next, the City collects pedestrian and 

vehicular traffic volume data. For 

pedestrian and bicycle volumes, the City 

policy recommends collecting data during 

AM, mid-day, and PM peak hour periods 

relevant to the crossing location. City staff 

also collect hourly and average daily 

traffic (ADT) at the crossing location, with 

attention paid to key pedestrian activity 

hours. Finally, the City records vehicle 

For more information, please contact:

City of Boulder, Transportation Division, 303.441.3200, 

https://bouldercolorado.gov/transportation

 SAFE TRANSPORTATION FOR EVERY PEDESTRIAN CASE STUDY
Case Study: Research Guides Countermeasure Selection in Boulder

EDC-4 STEP: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_4/step.cfm

queuing duration and frequency from 

downstream signals or intersections that 

may impact the crossing location.

“Pedestrian safety is a top priority for the City 

of Boulder. The Pedestrian Crossing Guidelines 

were developed using a data driven approach that 

analyzed a wide variety of pedestrian crossing 

scenarios, crash history and best practices from 

peer communities. The guidelines have been 

very useful for determining what’s appropriate for 

new projects and for responding to community 

requests for crossing treatments.” 

–David Kemp, Senior Transportation Planner, City 

of Boulder, CO

STEP 4: APPLY DATA TO FIGURE 1, TABLE 1, AND 

FIGURE 2 TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE TREATMENTS

The procedure’s final step uses the 

data from Steps 2 and 3 to recommend 

countermeasures for the location under 

analysis. City staff begin by using the 

Pedestrian Crossing Treatment Flowchart.1

 A 

sequence of questions on ADT, pedestrian 

volumes, and controlled status (e.g., 

traffic control device) narrows the options 

for appropriate crossing treatments 

(figure 2). The flowchart leads to three 

possible outcomes: a countermeasure is 

recommended, no action is needed, or the 

user is referred to another selection tool.

The second component of Step 4 is the 

“Table 1–Criteria for Crossing Treatments at 

Uncontrolled Locations.”1

 If directed to this 

tool, City staff must match the candidate 

location’s roadway configuration, roadway 

ADT, and roadway speed. This step will 

result in one of six possible outcomes 

that describes specific guidance for the 

treatments to consider and potential 

roadway modifications (e.g., posted speed 

reduction).

Uncontrolled Crossing Location:

Figure 2. Excerpt from "Figure 1–Pedestrian Crossing Treatment 

Flowchart" from Boulder's Pedestrian Crossing Treatment 

Installation Guidelines.1

References

1. City of Boulder, “Pedestrian Crossing Treatment Installation Guidelines,” (2011) https://www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/pedestrian-crossing-treamtment-installationguidelines-1-201307011719.pdf?_ga=2.138631796.633574636.1505499208-1937072.1505499208