The challenge of safe and active transportation: Macrolevel examination of pedestrian and bicycle crashes in the Austin District

Abstract

Encouraging the use of nonmotorized modes of transportation is a goal at the intersection of public health, environment, and transportation, given active transportation’s numerous benefits to individuals and communities. However, increased use of nonmotorized modes can also bring increased pedestrian–vehicle and bicycle–vehicle crashes. About 4,000 fatal and serious injury crashes involving a motor vehicle and a pedestrian or bicyclist occurred between 2007 and 2014 in the Texas Department of Transportation Austin District. This study contributed to the field of research by developing four crash frequency and severity models for pedestrians and bicyclists to identify the factors associated with the frequency of crashes and the presence of more severe crashes across the census block groups in the Austin District. The models showed the important role of different variables in crash frequency and severity, including travel demand, commute behaviors, network characteristics, and sociodemographic features. Using the model results, areas of concern with the greatest potential for safety improvements were identified. The study results can help develop safety improvement interventions for vulnerable road users in the Austin District and exemplify how other transportation agencies can estimate pedestrian and bicycle crashes using their existing database and crowdsourced data.