Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Study Research Papers (original) (raw)

Although vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian flows are generally considerably lower during nighttime, this time accounts for a higher number of accidents than expected given lower exposure compared to daytime. A highly influential factor is... more

Although vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian flows are generally considerably lower during nighttime, this time accounts for a higher number of accidents than expected given lower exposure compared to daytime. A highly influential factor is the lack of clear visibility at nighttime. Several studies have showed the negative effects of the lack of clear visibility on bicycle and pedestrian accident frequency and injury severity at nighttime. Studies that have evaluated this issue have considered only the presence of light. The presence of light is not sufficient to evaluate road users’ safety: different amounts of lighting can have different effects on a driver’s vision such as discomfort glare, and disability glare, or the available light may not provide adequate contrast for object detection. Only a limited number of past studies in this field actually measured the amount of nighttime illuminance. Our study relies on the collection of road illuminance data on road links during nighttime in downtown Montréal using an illuminance sensor mounted on an electric scooter. The pedestrian and bicycle accident frequency were analysed separately using the negative binomial model. Results from this study show unexpectedly that an increase in road lighting is associated with more bicycle and pedestrian accidents, which may be explained by the decision to add or increase the amount of lighting where accidents occur. The presence of a bike facility and arterial roads were associated with a decrease in bicycle accident occurrence. For pedestrians, the number of lanes per link and the pedestrian flow were associated with an increase in nighttime accident frequency, while the vehicle flow is associated with a decreasing number of accidents. The study calls for more investigation of the precise relationship between safety and the amount of light provided by road lighting.

This paper intends to focus on Cairo streets from the pedestrian-use perspective. It aims to explore and examine the factors that make Cairo streets better places for walking. Moreover, it intends to contribute to the limited qualitative... more

This paper intends to focus on Cairo streets from the pedestrian-use perspective. It aims to explore and examine the factors that make Cairo streets better places for walking. Moreover, it intends to contribute to the limited qualitative research on walkable streets and pedestrians' walking experience, specifically in Cairo. In addition, it provides a conceptual framework for understanding the walkability of streets and the experience of pedestrians, built on both empirical field study and prevailing theoretical models reviewed in the literature. To closely examine the factors that determine Cairo streets to be walkable and therefore pedestrian-friendly, the research investigates the status of two streets in Cairo as a case study. The case studies section investigated the street characteristics and the local pedestrians' needs and perceptions towards their walking experience in the streets. This study investigated the status of Cairo streets by recording the users' perceptions of different types to understand the causes of this problem. Moreover, to encourage the walking in Cairo streets and promote social activities, the study investigates two major streets in Cairo, "El-Korba and Al-Azhar," using qualitative research methods of participant interviews and observational surveys. Furthermore, it conducted a comparative study to examine the causes and proposals' solutions, down to the study's results.

Introduction: Pedestrians are known as the most vulnerable road users, which means their needs and safety require specific attention in strategic plans. Given the fact that pedestrians are more prone to higher injury severity levels... more

Introduction: Pedestrians are known as the most vulnerable road users, which means their needs and safety require specific attention in strategic plans. Given the fact that pedestrians are more prone to higher injury severity levels compared to other road users, this study aims to investigate the risk factors associated with various levels of injury severity that pedestrians experience in Illinois. Method: Ordered-response models are used to analyze single-vehicle, single-pedestrian crash data from 2010 to 2013 in Illinois. As a measure of net change in the effect of significant variables, average direct pseudo-elasticities are calculated that can be further used to prioritize safety countermeasures. A model comparison using AIC and BIC is also provided to compare the performance of the studied ordered-response models. Results: The results recognized many variables associated with severe injuries: older pedestrians (more than 65 years old), pedestrians not wearing contrasting clothing, adult drivers (16–24), drunk drivers, time of day (20:00 to 05:00), divided highways, multilane highways, darkness, and heavy vehicles. On the other hand, crossing the street at crosswalks, older drivers (more than 65 years old), urban areas, and presence of traffic control devices (signal and sign) are associated with decreased probability of severe injuries. Conclusions and practical applications: The comparison between three proposed ordered-response models shows that the partial proportional odds (PPO) model outperforms the conventional ordered (proportional odds—PO) model and generalized ordered logit model (GOLM). Based on the findings, stricter rules to address DUI driving is suggested. Educational programs need to focus on older pedestrians given the increasing number of older people in Illinois in the upcoming years. Pedestrians should be educated to use pedestrian crosswalks and contrasting clothing at night. In terms of engineering countermeasures, installation of crosswalks where pedestrian activity is high seems a promising practice.

Urban public spaces have been described as places of gathering for social, economic or cultural purposes. It derives its form from the local context, land use and heritage of the city. To make these places legible, there has to be a... more

Urban public spaces have been described as places of gathering for social, economic or cultural purposes. It derives its form from the local context, land use and heritage of the city. To make these places legible, there has to be a visual connection between the elements. Through this study, an attempt is made to understand the factors that affect the pedestrian movement in a public space and how visual access plays an important role in defining the image of a city through these spaces, keeping different climatic conditions in mind. It also aims to examine whether there exists a relationship between people's behavior and their movement, and the visual fields created by spatial configuration. Literature studies related to human psychology and Gestalt's theory forms an integral part of the study. Three case studies were conducted in different climatic conditions of India, using mapping tools, sketching, photographs and observational surveys. Factors like pedestrian access, landscape, landmarks and pathways were compared and analyzed. The results indicated that while some public spaces are used on a day to day basis, others are visited by tourists due to their historic importance. Further, it can be inferred that more the visually accessible a place is, more the number of pedestrians using the space. Another factor affecting the number of pedestrians is the type of activities happening in and around the public square. In order to develop a public space of importance, it should be kept in mind that the space should provide pedestrian-friendly facilities that would increase the number of users, promote healthy living and increase social interaction among people.

Child pedestrians are highly represented in fatal and severe road crashes and differ in their crossing behavior from adults. Although many children carry cell phones, the effect that cell phone conversations have on children's crossing... more

Child pedestrians are highly represented in fatal and severe road crashes and differ in their crossing behavior from adults. Although many children carry cell phones, the effect that cell phone conversations have on children's crossing behavior has not been thoroughly examined. A comparison of children and adult pedestrians' crossing behavior while engaged in cell phone conversations was conducted. In a semi-immersive virtual environment simulating a typical city, 14 adults and 38 children (11 children aged 7–8; 18 aged 9–10 and 9 aged 11–13), experienced road crossing related traffic-scene scenarios. They were requested to press a response button whenever they felt it was safe to cross. Eye movements were tracked. Results have shown that all age groups' crossing behaviors were affected by cell phone conversations. When busy with more cognitively demanding conversation types, participants were slower to react to a crossing opportunity, chose smaller crossing gaps, and allocated less visual attention to the peripheral regions of the scene. The ability to make better crossing decisions improved with age, but no interaction with cell phone conversation type was found. The most prominent improvement was shown in 'safety gap'; each age group maintained a longer gap than its predecessor younger age group. In accordance to the current study, it is safe to say that cell phone conversations can hinder child and adult pedestrians' safety. Thereby, it is important to take those findings in account when aiming to train young pedestrians for road-safety and increase public awareness.

Child pedestrians are highly represented in fatal and severe road crashes and differ in their crossing behavior from adults. Although many children carry cell phones, the effect that cell phone conversations have on children's... more

Child pedestrians are highly represented in fatal and severe road crashes and differ in their crossing behavior from adults. Although many children carry cell phones, the effect that cell phone conversations have on children's crossing behavior has not been thoroughly examined. A comparison of children and adult pedestrians' crossing behavior while engaged in cell phone conversations was conducted. In a semi-immersive virtual environment simulating a typical city, 14 adults and 38 children (11 children aged 7–8; 18 aged 9–10 and 9 aged 11–13), experienced road crossing related traffic-scene scenarios. They were requested to press a response button whenever they felt it was safe to cross. Eye movements were tracked. Results have shown that all age groups' crossing behaviors were affected by cell phone conversations. When busy with more cognitively demanding conversation types, participants were slower to react to a crossing opportunity, chose smaller crossing gaps, and al...