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First Crash Involving a Parklet -- LA Crash Shows The Need For Safety To Be Designed Into Any Structure That Exposes People To Oncoming Traffic

7/15/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
Parklets are all the rage right now….they can be found in cities from Boston to San Francisco, from Chicago to Houston, and all kinds of cities and town in between.  Basically, they are platforms that are built to occupy an existing street parking space or spaces – a parklet provides additional sidewalk space and seating space, and are often used for small meeting areas, for outdoor dining areas, and for places for pedestrians to rest and residents to linger in nice weather.  In busy urban areas, they provide much needed space and help to pedestrianize streets and neighborhoods.

There are many examples of parklets and there are many shapes and sizes, and they have many purposes.  All of them abut the existing curb, all of them are parallel to the curb, and all of them are enclosed in some way or another to keep people in and (presumably) to keep intruding vehicles out.

We think that parklets are a GREAT idea – they can be relaxing places, they can be money makers for small businesses, and they can change the dynamic of a neighborhood by giving pedestrians a reason to visit and a place to linger.  They are a win-win for everybody – provided they are designed to protect the very people that are encouraged to sit and linger.  People should never be targets.  (Above photo courtesy of oneironaut11 via Instagram.)

As you can see from the press coverage and video of the Los Angeles accident (HERE) a DUI vehicle impacted the end of a parklet that was being used for outdoor dining at a popular late night restaurant.  Reports show that a diner, an employee, and a pedestrian were struck by debris and injured.  All were taken to the hospital and all have been released.  Significantly, the vehicle did not seem to strike any of the three – it was debris from the parklet itself and the planters around it that were propelled into the injured people.

Basic design and basic safety principles seem to not have been taken into account by designers of this parklet.  See our earlier post on the topic of SAFETY BY DESIGN.  Vehicle impacts are probably some of the best studied events studied in the world of transportation.  In terms of building a fixed structure subject to impact by a 5,000 LB vehicle traveling at street speeds (say 30 MPH) designers and safety engineers have three main tools to deal with the impact energy;  absorb the energy using attenuating materials and designs;  rigidize and secure the structure to make it stronger than the effects of the impact; or do some of both.

This kind of approach can be seen in the design of modern cars and trucks.  In a front end impact, the front area of the car crushes into itself, absorbing much of the impact energy.  At some point, the crushing stops and the rigid cab of the vehicle remains as secure as possible to protect occupants, but if required, airbags deploy to attenuate the remaining energy that is pushing the occupants forward and into the rigid structure.  From the video and press reports of this accident, more should have been done so that as the car struck the parklet and planters, those items were not propelled towards the seated customers by the front of the car.

As is evident from the slide show below, whatever the car struck was easily propelled forward and into the seating area.  As the photos show, this was very loosely constructed and not at all engineered structure – there is no sign of rigidity, no sign of being well-secured to the street or sidewalk, and the car simply pushed planters, decking, seating and railing in front of it until it came to a stop with its front wheels off the ground.  Lives were saved NOT by good safety engineering, but by debris that piled up in front of the car – no wonder people were injured.

The most obvious solution to the problem of parklets is to install inexpensive and effective safety barriers on sides exposed to oncoming traffic.  It does not have to look like a castle or fortress, nor does it have to look uninviting.  This approach stops the car BEFORE in comes in contact with the structure where people are sitting – simple, safe and proven.  ASTM has a proposed standard for safety barriers in street and parking areas such as these,  called WK13074.  You can read all about it HERE.  Steel bollards or barriers could easily have stopped that car before striking the parklet and the people – and done so for only a few thousand dollars.

Either you stop the car just in front of the parklet, or you have to build the parklet so strong that it resists the impact.  Either way, the facts are quite simple -- you either stop the car, or everyone sitting, standing, working or passing near the parklet is at risk at any time.

SLIDE SHOW ( Photo credits and more information on the parklet damaged in this crash HERE)




4 Comments
Derek Dreise link
7/15/2014 11:37:09 pm

Rob, this is a well thought out, interesting read.

With popularity of parklets rising, it's easy to just throw some inferior form of structure up as a business owner. But, as you said, it's the preliminary design that matters. It's a preemptive thought about safety that saves lives in the long run. All it takes is a few simple steps/installations with premises liability in mind.

I don't get it, but I hope more business owners are seeing these accidents happen and taking the necessary precautions to prevent future tragedy.

Reply
Warren C. Vander Helm link
7/16/2014 12:32:01 am

Great article...much work needs to be done in this area! Thanks for pushing the discussion

Reply
Lance Sterling
11/15/2015 03:04:19 pm

Most parklets are located on streets posted at or below 25 MPH.

I'm not sure how bollards would fair on a structure that runs with traffic.

I would think a few 55 gal water barrels would be a good enough attenuator-- at least for seasonal/ tempoary parklets... cheap and easy

I'm not sure how anyone fully protects themselves from a DUI driver. For the risk averse, staying home after 11:00 on Friday and Saturday is probably the prudent thing to do.

Reply
Rob Reiter link
11/17/2015 07:43:15 pm

Thanks for your comments Lance. The problem with how to protect people sitting on/at a parklet is made complicated by how much risk of injury you want to accept for the people on the parklet versus how much risk of injury you want to inflict on someone driving a car that strikes the parklet or the protective devices you have installed in front of it.

You are quite right that attenuation is a great idea and has benefits for both pedestrians and drivers. However, the vehicle has to be stopped for attenuation to have been worthwhile. I have seen a number of solutions -- some of them pretty good, others not as good.

You are right about drunk drivers in the late night hours -- but alas, statistics show that a majority of injury accidents occur earlier. When all is said and done, if you want to fly in the face of common sense and install a parklet on a busy street, then have the common sense to protect it from wayward vehicles.

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