Travel Behavior

Removing Barriers for Seniors at Transit Stops and Stations and the Potential for Transit Ridership Growth

Babka, Rhinna Jolris
Zheng, Joseph
Cooper, Jill
Ragland, David R.
2008

As the baby boomer generation ages there is an increased need for older adult sensitive transportation. Currently a small percentage of older adults utilize public transit; however, the utilization rates are likely to increase as the corresponding population of older adults increases. Older adults are a diverse population and it is likely that future generations of older adults will require a wider range of transit options.The current research addresses (i) barriers for older adults at transit stops and stations, and (ii) older adult public transit habits and attitudes. This discussion...

Assessing and Addressing the Mobility Needs of an Aging Population

Ragland, David R
MacLeod, Kara E
McMillan, Tracy
Doggett, Sarah
Felschundneff, Grace
2019

The mobility needs of an aging population is one of the most substantial challenges facing California in the coming decades. The number of residents age 65 and older is expected to double between 2012 and 2050, and the number age 85 and above is expected to increase by over 70% between 2010 and 2030. Declines in physical function related to age may reduce mobility options dramatically. A survey of 510 residents age 55 and older in Contra Costa County was conducted to determine mobility patterns and limitations related to age and other factors. Results of the survey indicate that a majority...

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...

Estimating Pedestrian Accident Exposure: Protocol Report

Greene-Roesel, Ryan
Diogenes, Mara Chagas
Ragland, David R
2007

Walking is a healthful, environmentally benign form of travel, and is the most basic form of human mobility. Walking trips account for more than 8 percent of all trips taken in California, making walking the second most commonly used mode of travel after the personal automobile (Caltrans, 2002). In addition, many trips made by vehicle or public transit begin and end with walking. In spite of the importance and benefits of walking, pedestrians suffer a disproportionate share of the harm of traffic incidents in California. As noted above, walking trips make up just 8 percent of all trips in...

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...

Prehospital Response Time and Traumatic Injury—A Review

Doggett, Sarah
Ragland, David R.
Felschundneff, Grace
2018

A significant proportion of fatalities from motor vehicle collisions (MVC) could be prevented through better emergency medical service (EMS) care. Despite a lack of conclusive research, there is a consensus that prehospital time (the time between the MVC and the patient’s arrival at the hospital) must be reduced as much as possible. Many studies use response time (the time between EMS dispatch and arrival at the scene) as an indicator of overall prehospital time and a metric of EMS performance. However, there are other components of prehospital time that may be equally important, including...

The Marked Crosswalk Dilemma: Uncovering Some Missing Links in a 35-Year Debate

Mitman, Meghan Fehlig
Ragland, David R.
Zegeer, Charles V.
2008

Largely in response to several landmark safety studies, as an official or unofficial policy, many agencies across the U.S. have elected to remove marked crosswalks at uncontrolled intersections, or have shown resistance to installing them in the first place. This approach results in unacceptable pedestrian mobility restrictions, yet such restrictions are often not considered in policy-making. As such, there is a need for roadway system owners to develop strategic safety guidelines to address the marked crosswalk dilemma. Since 2005, the UC Berkeley Traffic Safety Center, in a study funded...

Evaluation of an Urban Travel Training for Older Adults

Babka, Rhinna Jolris
Cooper, Jill F.
Ragland, David R.
2008

The size of the aging population in the United States is increasing, and transportation is critical to maintaining older adults mobility, independence, and quality of life. Travel training programs designed to increase individual knowledge are one way to encourage older adult use of fixed- route transit and improve the transportation options for older adults. The analysis conducted in this paper explores characteristics of travel-training participants in Alameda County, California in 2007-2008 and their knowledge and concerns regarding public transit. Specific issues addressed include...

Driver/Pedestrian Understanding and Behavior at Marked and Unmarked Crosswalks

Mitman, Meghan F.
Ragland, David R
2008

Pedestrian injuries at crosswalk locations represent a significant problem. In 2002, 22.7 percent of US pedestrians involved in collisions were in a crosswalk at the time of the collision, and over 96% of these occurred at an intersection. Almost all crosswalk collisions resulted in pedestrian injury or fatality (98.6 percent), and about one-third resulted in severe or fatal injury (National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) and General Estimates System (GES) 2002).As the owner of the California State Highway System, Caltrans is responsible for providing access to safe and convenient...

Comparison of collisions on HOV facilities with limited and continuous access

Jang, Kitae
Chung, Koohong
Ragland, David R.
Chan, Ching-Yao
2008

This paper describes comparisons of traffic safety during the morning and afternoon peak hours in extended stretches of eight High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes with two different types of access – four corridors with continuous access and the others with limited access. Traffic collision patterns in two different types of HOV lanes were investigated by evaluating 1) the differences in collision distribution, severity, types of collisions and per lane traffic utilization, 2) spatial distribution of collision concentrations by using Continuous Risk Profile (CRP) approach, and 3) collision...