The Role of Built Environment Factors in Enhancing Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety: A Comprehensive Analysis and Policy Implications
Project Description
Despite recent efforts to achieve safety goals in the US, pedestrian and bicycle safety remain critical issues that affect individuals and communities. The nearly 7,500 pedestrian fatalities annually and 1,000 bicyclist fatalities in recent years highlight the urgent need to address pedestrian and bicycle safety in urban, suburban, and rural areas where exposure and crash risks are changing. Importantly, the role of the built environment in such environments is changing; for instance, deficient infrastructure or socio-economic conditions in certain communities can increase the risks of pedestrian and bicycle crashes. This project focuses on enhancing pedestrian and bicycle safety through a detailed analysis of built environment features at the neighborhood level. As part of the CPBS' priorities on Safety Design, it examines the impact of factors such as street lighting, sidewalk availability, road design, land use type and mix, and density, as well as traffic volumes, on pedestrian and bicycle crash frequency and severity. With a particular emphasis on safety across various contexts, this research utilizes a range of data sources, including police crash reports, census data, land-use data, and indicators of burdens faced by communities. The study will apply statistical methods and explainable artificial intelligence techniques to analyze data and identify key contributors to crash occurrences and severity under both daytime and nighttime conditions. Techniques such as negative binomial models and ordered probability models will be used to understand the built environment features that correlate with safety outcomes. Special attention will be given to the role of these features across various spatial contexts, enabling the envisioning of targeted interventions to reduce crashes and enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Outputs
• Data Analysis Framework integrating data from police crash reports, census, land use data, the burden indicators, and exposure for future safety studies.
• A comprehensive final report. The research team will produce a detailed report summarizing the findings and recommendations.
• Technical paper(s): We will submit and attempt to publish the study in peer-reviewed journals, detailing the research methodology, findings, and implications for pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Specifically, the paper(s) will focus on how built environment factors can be integrated into a unique database and the role of burden indicators in safety outcomes during both daytime and nighttime.
• Evidence-Based Interventions and Policy Recommendations: Based on our research findings, we will develop targeted interventions to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
• Stakeholder involvement and technology transfer: We will share our findings with stakeholders, with a particular focus on policymakers. In this regard, we will submit a paper to the National Academies Transportation Research Board for presentation at the annual meeting.
• Education: Graduate students will benefit directly and substantially from working on the project through mentorship and learning research skills. The work will likely be included in a Ph.D. and MS thesis. Also, the research team will incorporate the results in a safety course taught at UTK.
Outcomes / Impacts
The study will advance our understanding of how to design street environments to better serve the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists in various contexts. For example, by understanding the occurrence of different collision factors (such as speed) in various contexts (suburban vs. urban), we can provide more effective guidance on which treatments could be beneficial in specific locations. Ultimately, this work will lay a strong foundation for successfully using the built environment to enhance safety and reduce the risks to users. To summarize, the outcomes/impacts of the proposed project are:
1. Improved Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety through targeted interventions
2. Evidence-based policy decisions leading to data-driven safety measures
3. Enhanced considerations of safety resource allocation in different contexts
4. Improved design and infrastructure guided by empirical research would result in more reliable transportation networks. Enhanced predictability in traffic flows and reduced disruption due to crashes would benefit all road users.
5. Cost Savings from reduced crashes, injuries, and fatalities.
6. Positive Influence on Planning and engineering strategies for pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly cities.
Dates
06/01/2024 to 05/31/2025
Universities
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Principal Investigator
Asad Khattak
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
ORCID: 0000-0002-0790-7794
Bruce Appleyard
San Diego State University
ORCID: 0000-0003-2105-8079
Project Partners:
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Center for Transportation Research
San Diego State University
City Planning/School of Public Affairs
Research Project Funding
Federal: $84,000
Non-Federal: $42,000
Contract Number
69A3552348336
Project Number
24UTK02
Research Priority
Promoting Safety