The impact of built environments on pedestrian safety around bus stops

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pedestrian safety around transit stops plays an important role in promoting active travel to and from public transit. This study examined the impacts of built environments in several perspectives (e.g., sidewalk, street connectivity, road type, and land use) on pedestrian–vehicle crashes with different levels of injury severity around bus stops in Austin, Texas, using negative binomial models. The results showed that transit areas with higher levels of sidewalk coverage were associated with fewer pedestrian–vehicle crashes. The percentage of parking supplies was positively related to more collisions. Areas with higher percentages of big box stores and gas stations were associated with more crashes. The results illustrated a critical extension of the current literature and planning standards by examining specific land use types, parking supplies, road types, and sidewalk coverage, and informed planning professionals regarding the implications of planning approaches on accommodating multiple users on high-speed roads, applying interventions to reduce traffic conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles, and targeting low-income areas.