Pedestrians

A Pedestrian Exposure Model for the California State Highway System

Griswold, Julia B.
Medury, Aditya
Schneider, Robert J.
Amos, Dave
Li, Ang
Grembek, Offer
2019

For this study, we developed one of the first statewide pedestrian exposure models, using log-linear regression to estimate annual pedestrian crossing volumes at intersections on the California State Highway System. We compiled a database of more than 1,200 count locations, one of the largest ever used to create a pedestrian volume mode. We initially evaluated 75 explanatory variables for the model. The final model is based on the three land-use variables (employment density, population density, number of schools), four roadway network variables (number of street segments, intersections...

Improved Analysis Methodologies and Strategies for Complete Streets

Fournier, Nicholas
Huang, Amy
Skabardonis, Alexander
University of California, Berkeley
California Department of Transportation
California Business Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
2021

Complete streets movement is a national effort to return to traditional streets in cities to enhance livability, safely, accommodate all modes of travel, provide travel choices, ease traffic congestion, and promote healthier communities. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and several local agencies in the State have developed implementation plans for complete streets. In this project, the authors developed and tested improved strategies and analysis methodologies for complete streets, taking into consideration the emerging advances in technology on control devices and...

Arterial Speed Management with Control Measures: the Case of San Francisco, California

Halkias, Michael
Leng, Thalia
Sorell, Miriam
Parks, Jamie
Skabardonis, Alexander
2017

High vehicle speeds are strongly associated with both a greater likelihood of crash occurrence and more serious pedestrian injury. This study evaluated the effectiveness of traffic signal progression as a speed management tool in three arterial corridors in the city of San Francisco. Analysis of “before” and “after” field data on traffic volumes and speeds were used in the evaluation supplemented with estimates of air pollutant vehicle emissions. The findings show that the implemented control measure is an effective low-cost method to reduce the average speeds at the selected corridors....

Analysis Framework for Evaluation of Traffic Compliance Measures

Campbell, Robert
Skabardonis, Alexander
2013

Agencies and practitioners often test innovative strategies for improving driver compliance with traffic regulations. However, in evaluating these strategies, researchers often rely on simple before-and-after methods that suffer from several flaws and that can result in misleading results and an inaccurate assessment of a strategy’s effectiveness. This paper examines these flaws, proposes a framework that avoids or corrects for them, and then uses it to analyze the effectiveness of a common strategy: installation of larger signage (at a freeway entrance ramp). The framework described in...

Improved Grade Crossing Safety with In-Pavement Warning Lights

Cohn, Theodore E.
2005

The focus of this project is the modification of a commercially available in-pavement warning signal that was evolved from one originally designed to indicate the presence of pedestrians in a crosswalk. We have proposed use of a similar device to provide warning to vehicles approaching a railroad grade crossing, and we have tested a variety of illumination patterns in order to provide an optimal implementation of such a warning device. Our laboratory tests demonstrate an improvement in visual response, as evidenced by a lowered reaction time, to a pattern that incorporates alternating...

Evaluate the Causes of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Traffic Fatalities and Injuries, and Establish Appropriate Countermeasures for Use in California

Arnold, Lindsay S.
Ragland, David R.
Yip, Harry
Cooper, Doug
MacLeod, Kara
Hennessey, Daniel
Mitman, Meghan
DuBose, Brooke
2010

The three primary objectives of this project were to: (1) conduct research on existing bicycle and pedestrian safety programs and guidelines in the U.S. and internationally, (2) obtain and analyze existing data related to pedestrian and bicycle safety in California, and (3) assist in developing methodologies for producing safety action plans, identifying and selecting projects, conducting education campaigns, and targeting enforcement campaigns. To meet these objectives, SafeTREC developed a set of resources and tools for use in California. These resources make information and data on...

Estimating Pedestrian Accident Exposure

Greene-Roesel, Ryan
Diogenes, Mara Chagas
Ragland, David D.
2010

We are pleased to present the final report of Caltrans Task Orders 5211 and 6211, “Estimating Pedestrian Accident Exposure.” The project focused on defining pedestrian exposure and evaluating methods for measuring it within the State of California. The project was funded by the California Department of Transportation as part of the California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) Program of the University of California.Deliverables associated with the project include (I) a protocol report on assessing pedestrian exposure, which is accompanied by a training curriculum and an...

The Relationship Between Segment-Level Built Environment Attributes and Pedestrian Activity around Bogota’s BRT Stations

Rodriguez, DA
Brisson, EM
Estupiñan, N
2009

Few studies have examined the relationship between micro-scale features of the built environment and street segment usage. Micro-scale features of the built environment include the width of the sidewalk, the presence of amenities such as benches and trash bins, and the presence of crossing aids such as stoplights and crosswalks. This study employs segment-level primary data collected for 338 street segments in close proximity to one of 71 bus rapid transit stations in Bogotá, Colombia. We also use secondary data to control for area-level characteristics such as density, socio-...

The Analysis of Right-of-Way for Different Road Users in China: Passing-Passenger-Unit Versus Passenger-Car-Unit

Xiong, Wen, Professor
Zhang, Yuanyuan, PhD
Chen, Xiaohong, Professor
Jiang, Chao
2014

Being a public resource, the roadway space was distributed between different road users based on the Passenger-Car-Unit (PCU) concept. However, this concept tends to under estimate the capacity of public transportation and non-motorized travel. To improve the traditional car-oriented design to become more human-oriented, this study proposed a Passing-passenger-unit (PPU) and the method to observe the PPU in roadway level and area level. The PPU data were collected for urban arterials and residential areas in China to test the method and to compare the right-of-way distribution at different...

Safe Routes to School Local School Project: A Health Evaluation at 10 Low-Income Schools

Cooper, Jill F., MSW
McMillan, Tracy PhD
2010

Routes to School National Partnership (Partnership) founded the Local School Project (Project) in 2008 to assist ten schools in lowincome communities to: 1) develop and evaluate a school-based SRTS program, 2) build local capacity to apply for state or federal SRTS funding, and 3) increase safe walking and bicycling to and from the school and in the community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kaiser Permanente, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided funding for the Project.This report presents the results, lessons learned and recommendations identified during the...