Assessing travelers’ safety and security perception in railway stations

Abstract

In this paper a method is proposed to assess the safety and security perceived by travelers in the railway stations and an application to the case study of the (medium size) station of Frosinone, Italy, is presented. The methodology is based on Probit and Logit ordered choice models, estimated using data collected through a RP/SP survey. Main findings confirm that security issues are perceived as more threatening than safety ones. Models estimates show that thefts, harassments, aggressions are the most relevant variable affecting the perception of safety and security in the station. Railways underpasses to reach platforms and the presence of commercial activities resulted to be significant factors as well. Moreover, the levels of perception vary also with the socio-economic characteristics and the personal attitudes, meaning that not all the measures for effective safety and security are equally perceived.