Two popular measures are traffic circles, which are raised islands in the centers of intersections, and chicanes. These two measures reduce collision frequency by about 80 percent (1).

The following are some of the general principles to apply in green neighborhoods

• Parking: Allow on-street parking wherever possible.

• Lane widths: Revise engineering standards to reduce travel lane widths to the operational minimum and have small curb radii at intersections.

• Pedestrian crossings: Make street crossings safer and easier for pedestrians. Some good ways to do this are:
  • reduce crossing distances.
  • install raised crossing tables (like flat-topped speed bumps, but marked as crosswalks)
  • extend curbs at intersections
  • use different pavement materials to emphasize shared streets.

In a pilot project, Portland, Oregon, recently incorporated storm water retention into corner bulges on a residential street. This experiment successfully improved storm water management, while reducing traffic speeds and creating a greener, more attractive street environment.

Reference:
(1) Ewing, Reid and Kreutzer, Richard.  2006.  Understanding the Relationship Between Public Health and the Built Environment.  U.S. Green Building Council.