Rail

Addressing Inappropriate Driver Behavior at Rail-Highway Crossings

Cooper, Douglas L.
Ragland, David R
2008

Driver behavior at rail highway crossings has been the subject of numerous studies, most of which show that violations are relatively commonplace. The focus of this paper will be on those drivers who drive around fully descended gates. Drivers commonly misjudge the speed and distance of trains. They must make a decision about the time remaining before the train arrives based on sensory signals as well as non-sensory factors such as expectations and motivation. At a gated crossing, where drivers have been alerted to the imminent danger by lowered gates, there is more to be gained by...

Rail Crossings: A Strategy to Select Countermeasure Improvements for Rail-Highway Crossings in California

Cooper, Douglas L.
MacLeod, Kara E.
Ragland, David R.
2007

Rail crossing crashes have declined in the past 30 years, both nationally and in California. This is largely attributed to the closing of a large number of crossings as well as the deployment of a wide range of countermeasures, including signal systems, gating and grade separation programs. However, the number of crashes and subsequent injuries and deaths is still unacceptably high. Rail crossings provide different levels of warnings from four-quadrant gates down to stop signs. To understand how the state of California can best utilize state and federal funding available through SAFETEA-LU...

Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Evaluation for the City of Emeryville at Four Intersections

Johnson, Emily S.
Ragland, David R
Cooper, Jill F
O'Connor, Terri
2005

The City of Emeryville is small in area (1.2 square miles) and population (7,000), but it is one of the most regionally connected cities in the Bay Area (California). Emeryville is situated at the eastern end of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, contains the intersection of Interstate Highway 80 (I-80) with several regional and other interstate highways, and has extensive transportation access by Amtrak Rail, Alameda County (AC) Transit and heavy cargo facilities at the nearby Port of Oakland. The city has many large employers and several large shopping areas, and the daytime...

Driver Behavior at Rail Crossings: Cost-Effective Improvements to Increase Driver Safety at Public At-Grade Rail-Highway Crossings in California

Cooper, Douglas L.
Ragland, David R
2007

This report examines conditions affecting vehicle-train collisions at rail crossings in California, and recommends effective countermeasures and implementation strategies. In doing so, the report helps meet California’s goal of efficiently utilizing state and federal funding available through SAFETEA-LU for increasing the safety at public at grade rail-highway crossings.

The Potential for Using Transit Infrastructure for Air Freight Cargo Movement: Feasibility Analysis of Freight Train Operation Logistics, Phase II

Lu, Xian-Yun
Ogwang, Allan
Mcdermott, Joanne
Nozuka, Debbie
Hanson, Matt
2015

Traffic congestion and trucking activities in the San Francisco Bay Area are increasing due to the rapid population growth and economic expansion. It is imperative to explore transportation alternatives, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, with 63 percent unused capacity on average in non-peak hours, presents such an opportunity. If BART’s service is extended to include air-freight movement, extra revenue can be generated, truck miles travelled on highways will be reduced (potentially leading to a reduced traffic congestion and pollution), and traffic safety could be improved....