Investigation of pedestrian and bicyclist safety in public transportation systems

Abstract

IntroductionUnderstanding the crash risk factors associated with pedestrians and bicyclists is vital to promoting pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly communities and ensuring the sustainability of the transportation system. Transit stations perform as important mode transfer locations for bicyclists and pedestrians. However, past studies on contributing factors to pedestrian and bicycle crash in transit station service areas are limited. This study develops a model to guide the prioritization of areas for bicyclist and pedestrian safety improvement. MethodThis study analyzes pedestrian and bicyclist safety in subway station service areas using publicly available crash data from New York City (NYC) area. For the model development, various subway station and built-environment characteristics related variables were aggregated to the subway station service area level. Spatial regression and random parameter models were developed to account for spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependency in the crash data. Performance measures of the developed models showed that the Semi-Parametric Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression (S-GWPR) model better explained the variation in the crash frequency. ResultsThe results showed that subway stations in NYC with high ridership were positively associated with pedestrian and bicycle crashes. The number of bus stops in a subway station service area was also positively associated with pedestrian and bicycle crashes. This study also found that additional bike lanes can reduce bicycle-involved crashes. ConclusionAreas surrounding transit stations, where pedestrian and bicyclist activities are usually high, require special attention to deploy appropriate safety countermeasures. The findings of this study suggest that cities can install more bike lanes to promote the safety of bicyclists. Using the results of this study, traffic safety planners can prioritize areas for the implementation of safety countermeasures in NYC.