Pedestrians

Modeling Spatial Segregation and Travel Cost Influences on Utilitarian Walking: Towards Policy Intervention

Yang, Y
Auchincloss, AH
Rodriguez, DA
Brown, DG
Riolo, R
Roux, A
2015

We develop an agent-based model of utilitarian walking and use the model to explore spatial and socio-economic factors affecting adult utilitarian walking and how travel costs as well as various educational interventions aimed at changing attitudes can alter the prevalence of walking and income differentials in walking. The model is validated against US national data. We contrast realistic and extreme parameter values in our model and test effects of changing these parameters across various segregation and pricing scenarios while allowing for interactions between travel choice and...

Location or Design? Associations Between Neighbourhood Location, Built Environment and Walking

Cho, GH
Rodriguez, D
2014

In examining the association between environmental exposures and walking, conducting research on a neighbourhood scale has been the dominant approach whereas the association of the regional-scale environment with behaviours has rarely been explored. Because regional location and neighbourhood built environment attributes are likely to be correlated, the findings in neighbourhood-scale studies may be biased. In contrast to existing literature, this study is based on the assumption that a neighbourhood’s location may be associated with walking or physical activity and that this...

Neighborhood Design, Neighborhood Location, and Three Types of Walking: Results from the Washington DC Area

Cho, GH
Rodriguez, DA
2015

Understanding how the built environment at a neighborhood scale is associated with individuals' walking has been a common research objective in public health and city planning. In contrast to the extant literature, we examine whether a neighborhood's location defined at a regional scale is associated with walking and whether this association is separately identifiable from the association of the neighborhood built environment and walking. The findings indicated that walking for commuting purposes was associated more strongly with neighborhood location than with the neighborhood built...

A42 Transportation, Air Pollution and Physical ActivitieS (TAPAS): A Comprehensive Research Programme on Active Travel

Nazelle, A De
Rojas-Rueda, D
Jerrett, M
Rodriguez, D
Cole-Hunter, T
Donaire, D
Andersen, Z
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2015
Encouraging walking and cycling as means of transportation may have diverse benefits, such as reduced pollutant emissions and increased physical activity in the population. At the same time, individuals who shift to active travel modes may also experience increased risks of traffic...

Spatiotemporal Approaches to Analyzing Pedestrian Fatalities: The Case of Cali, Colombia

Fox, L
Serre, M
Lippmann, S
Rodriguez, D
Bangdiwala, S
Gutierrez, M
Escobar, G
Villaveces, A
2015

Injuries among pedestrians are a major public health concern in Colombian cities such as Cali. This is one of the first studies in Latin America to apply Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) methods to visualize and produce fine-scale, highly accurate estimates of citywide pedestrian fatalities. The purpose of this study is to determine the BME method that best estimates pedestrian mortality rates and reduces statistical noise. We further utilized BME methods to identify and differentiate spatial patterns and persistent versus transient pedestrian mortality hotspots. Methods: In this multiyear...

Predicting Urban Design Effects on Physical Activity and Public Health: A Case Study

Gibson, JMD
Rodriguez, D
Dennerlein, T
Mead, J
Hasch, T
Meacci, G
Levin, S
2015

With increasing global concerns about obesity and related health effects, tools to predict how urban form affects population physical activity and health are needed. However, such tools have not been well established. This article develops a computer simulation model for forecasting the health effects of urban features that promote walking. The article demonstrates the model using a proposed small-area plan for a neighborhood of 10,400 residents in Raleigh, North Carolina, one of the fastest-growing and most sprawling U.S. cities. The simulation model predicts that the plan would...

Experimental Vehicle Platform for Pedestrian Detection

Chan, Ching-Yao
Bu, Fanping
Shladover, Steven
2006

This report documents the work conducted for PATH Task Order 5200 – the evaluation of sensor technologies for pedestrian detection. A survey of recent and available sensor products were selected and evaluated to assess their applicability for vehicle-based solutions. The performance characteristics and limitations of various products and technological approaches were investigated. Subsequently, demonstrative experimental vehicle platforms and testing facilities were developed to illustrate the concept of vehicle infrastructure integration.

Community-Based Pedestrian Safety Training in Virtual Reality: A Pragmatic Trial

Schwebel, DC
Combs, T
Rodriguez, D
Severson, J
Sisiopiku, V
2016

Child pedestrian injuries are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity across the United States and the world. Repeated practice at the cognitive-perceptual task of crossing a street may lead to safer pedestrian behavior. Virtual reality offers a unique opportunity for repeated practice without the risk of actual injury. This study conducted a pre-post within-subjects trial of training children in pedestrian safety using a semi-mobile, semi-immersive virtual pedestrian environment placed at schools and community centers. Pedestrian safety skills among a group of 44 seven- and eight...

The Active Living Research 2015 Conference: The Science of Policy Implementation

Rodriguez, D
Lounsbery, MAF
Sallis, J
2016

The 2015 Active Living Research (ALR) Conference highlighted the theme of policy implementation because many policies are recommended to enhance active living, and policy adoption is becoming more common, but policies cannot be effective until they are implemented. A better understanding of active living policy implementation will assist researchers and practitioners in improving their policy recommendations and implementation practice.

Walkability and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Braun, L
Rodriguez, D
Evenson, K
Hirsch, J
Moore, K
Roux, AV Diez
2016
We used data from 3227 older adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (2004–2012) to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between walkability and cardiometabolic risk factors. In cross-sectional analyses, linear regression was used to estimate associations of Street Smart Walk Score® with glucose, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and waist circumference, while logistic regression was used to estimate associations with odds of metabolic syndrome. Econometric fixed effects models were used to estimate longitudinal...