Different Safety Awareness and Route Choice between Frequent and Infrequent Bicyclists: Findings from Revealed Preference Study Using Bikeshare Data

Author(s):  
Nitesh R. Shah ◽  
Christopher R. Cherry

Understanding the factors influencing bicycling is important to improve educational and built-environment investments to increase bicycling rates. Although factors such as the physical environment, sociodemographics, and psychology influence bicycling, safety is also one of the primary reasons people avoid bicycling. Interventions based on objective safety can reduce the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities, but people might still feel uncomfortable bicycling owing to subjective safety (perceived safety or avoidance of risk). Several studies have examined the subjective safety of bicyclists based on stated-preference surveys, but these studies have limitations, including response bias. A revealed preference method was implemented by combining 9,101 bicycling trips of Grid Bike Share in Arizona with transportation network and crash data. A segmented path size correction logit model identified that regular bicyclists took a 1.6-times longer detour to avoid historic crash locations than casual bicyclists. These two groups also exhibited different choices related to the built environment and navigation. The significance of different types of bicyclists avoiding historic crash locations or risky infrastructure is that this indicates that crash datasets coupled with route data could be used as one of several indicators of perceived safety. Recommendations to increase perceived safety and reduce the crash risk of occasional bicyclists include expanding bicycle-specific infrastructure, constructing contraflow bicycle lanes in a one-way street, separating high volume lanes with a bike lane, and improving the education of road users.

Author(s):  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Xin Ye ◽  
Ke Wang

Facing challenges in parking demand-and-supply imbalance and severe road traffic congestion during peak periods in Shanghai, in this paper we develop an SP-off-RP (stated-preference-off-revealed-preference) choice model to analyze relations between parking fee and commute mode choices based on survey data collected there. The survey questionnaire collects information about travelers’ daily commute, travel choices in the SP context, and personal socioeconomic and demographic attributes. The road network and public transportation network data are also used for model development. The model includes three main travel modes: car, public transit, and non-motorized mode. Variables that significantly influence mode choice and the reasons behind it are discussed, including the parking fee, the level-of-service (LOS) of the three modes, and socioeconomic and demographic variables. In the process of model development, a random sample of full-mode commute trips in Shanghai is integrated to improve model precision. The study reveals that the new random disturbance in the SP context is relatively large. The direct elasticity of the parking fee is estimated at −0.85, which means that when the parking fee increases by 10%, the average probability of choosing a private car for the commute will decrease by 8.5%. It is also found that transit LOS improvements have potential to reduce auto use in Shanghai. The study provides references on parking pricing as an alternative policy for travel demand management in Shanghai.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Osama ◽  
Maria Albitar ◽  
Tarek Sayed ◽  
Alexander Bigazzi

Walkability and bikeability indices are used to succinctly quantify how conducive an environment is to walking and cycling, often including factors related to comfort and perceived safety. The potential assumption that “walkable” and “bikeable” mean safe for walking and cycling (i.e., the association with objective safety or crash risk) has not yet been examined. This study investigates the association between two widely used measures (walk score and bike score) and pedestrian and cyclist crashes in Vancouver, Canada, to determine whether more walkable and bikeable areas of the city are also safer for walking and biking, after controlling for exposure. Multivariate Bayesian crash models with random and spatial effects are developed for pedestrian–motor-vehicle and cyclist–motor-vehicle crashes in 134 traffic analysis zones using 5 years of crash data with walking, cycling, and motor-vehicle traffic volume controls for exposure. Results indicate that areas of the city with higher walkability and bikeability can be potentially associated with greater pedestrian and cyclist crash risk, respectively, even after controlling for exposure. While the clear answer is that neighborhood walkability and bikeability does not indicate safety for pedestrians and cyclists, questions remain as to whether they should, and if so, how they could be modified to better incorporate objective risk.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Vergel-Tovar ◽  
Segundo López ◽  
Natalia Lleras ◽  
Darío Hidalgo ◽  
Maryfely Rincón ◽  
...  

The study of the relationship between the built environment and road safety suggests that density and urban design features may be associated with traffic incidents. In this study, quantitative data analysis using generalized ordinal logit models, and linear and log-linear regressions was conducted to estimate the influence of the built environment on road safety in Bogotá, focusing on road crash outcomes by estimating the influence of built environment attributes on fatalities and injured victims. The analysis was performed using georeferenced road crash data from 2012 to 2016 provided by Bogotá’s Department of Mobility. The quantitative data analysis focused on arterial roads, considering crash severity and types of road users involved, as well as Bus Rapid Transit System corridors. This analysis was complemented with on-site interviews. The results suggest that the presence of pedestrian bridges is positively associated with the number of road crashes for all road users. Other urban variables such as density and distance to intersections showed significant correlations with safety.


Author(s):  
Denis Elia Monyo ◽  
Henrick J. Haule ◽  
Angela E. Kitali ◽  
Thobias Sando

Older drivers are prone to driving errors that can lead to crashes. The risk of older drivers making errors increases in locations with complex roadway features and higher traffic conflicts. Interchanges are freeway locations with more driving challenges than other basic segments. Because of the growing population of older drivers, it is vital to understand driving errors that can lead to crashes on interchanges. This knowledge can assist in developing countermeasures that will ensure safety for all road users when navigating through interchanges. The goal of this study was to determine driver, environmental, roadway, and traffic characteristics that influence older drivers’ errors resulting in crashes along interchanges. The analysis was based on three years (2016–2018) of crash data from Florida. A two-step approach involving a latent class clustering analysis and the penalized logistic regression was used to investigate factors that influence driving errors made by older drivers on interchanges. This approach accounted for heterogeneity that exists in the crash data and enhanced the identification of contributing factors. The results revealed patterns that are not obvious without a two-step approach, including variables that were not significant in all crashes, but were significant in specific clusters. These factors included driver gender and interchange type. Results also showed that all other factors, including distracted driving, lighting condition, area type, speed limit, time of day, and horizontal alignment, were significant in all crashes and few specific clusters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 4007
Author(s):  
Pierluigi Coppola ◽  
Fulvio Silvestri

Recent studies have shown that gender is the personal aspect that mostly affects mobility patterns and travel behaviors. It has been observed, for instance, that female perception of unsafety and insecurity when traveling using public transport forces them to make unwanted travel choices, such as avoiding traveling at certain times of day and to specific destinations. In order to improve the attractiveness of public transport services, this gender gap must not be overlooked. This paper aims at contributing to research in gendered mobility by investigating differences in safety and security perceptions in railway stations, and by identifying which policies could be effective in bridging any existing gap. The methodology includes the collection of disaggregate data through a mixed Revealed Preference/Stated Preference survey, and the estimation of fixed and random parameters behavioral models. Results from a medium-sized Italian railway station show that female travelers feel safer in the presence of other people; they prefer intermodal infrastructures close to the entrance of the station and commercial activities in the internal premises. Moreover, unlike male travelers, they do not appreciate the presence of hedges and greenery outside stations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Andrew Paul Morris ◽  
Narelle Haworth ◽  
Ashleigh Filtness ◽  
Daryl-Palma Asongu Nguatem ◽  
Laurie Brown ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Passenger vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) functionalities are becoming more prevalent within vehicle fleets. However, the full effects of offering such systems, which may allow for drivers to become less than 100% engaged with the task of driving, may have detrimental impacts on other road-users, particularly vulnerable road-users, for a variety of reasons. (2) Crash data were analysed in two countries (Great Britain and Australia) to examine some challenging traffic scenarios that are prevalent in both countries and represent scenarios in which future connected and autonomous vehicles may be challenged in terms of safe manoeuvring. (3) Road intersections are currently very common locations for vulnerable road-user accidents; traffic flows and road-user behaviours at intersections can be unpredictable, with many vehicles behaving inconsistently (e.g., red-light running and failure to stop or give way), and many vulnerable road-users taking unforeseen risks. (4) Conclusions: The challenges of unpredictable vulnerable road-user behaviour at intersections (including road-users violating traffic or safe-crossing signals, or taking other risks) combined with the lack of knowledge of CAV responses to intersection rules, could be problematic. This could be further compounded by changes to nonverbal communication that currently exist between road-users, which could become more challenging once CAVs become more widespread.


Author(s):  
Megat-Usamah Megat-Johari ◽  
Nusayba Megat-Johari ◽  
Peter T. Savolainen ◽  
Timothy J. Gates ◽  
Eva Kassens-Noor

Transportation agencies have increasingly been using dynamic message signs (DMS) to communicate safety messages in an effort to both increase awareness of important safety issues and to influence driver behavior. Despite their widespread use, evaluations as to potential impacts on driver behavior, and the resultant impacts on traffic crashes, have been very limited. This study addresses this gap in the extant literature and assesses the relationship between traffic crashes and the frequency with which various types of safety messages are displayed. Safety message data were collected from a total of 202 DMS on freeways across the state of Michigan between 2014 and 2018. These data were integrated with traffic volume, roadway geometry, and crash data for segments that were located downstream of each DMS. A series of random parameters negative binomial models were estimated to examine total, speeding-related, and nighttime crashes based on historical messaging data while controlling for other site-specific factors. The results did not show any significant differences with respect to total crashes. Marginal declines in nighttime crashes were observed at locations with more frequent messages related to impaired driving, though these differences were also not statistically significant. Finally, speeding-related crashes were significantly less frequent near DMS that showed higher numbers of messages related to speeding or tailgating. Important issues are highlighted with respect to methodological concerns that arise in the analysis of such data. Field research is warranted to investigate potential impacts on driving behavior at the level of individual drivers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-110
Author(s):  
Lauren Mullenbach ◽  
Lincoln Larson ◽  
Myron Floyd ◽  
Oriol Marquet ◽  
Jing-Huei Huang ◽  
...  

Built environment features, including parks, often exacerbate health disparities. We examined built environment perceptions and park use among a population at high risk for physical health outcomes: racially diverse, low-income mothers across the United States. Perceived safety from crime and living near a park were associated with more frequent park use for mothers and their children, and neighborhood walkability was linked to longer park visits. However, only 40% of mothers lived within a ten-minute walk from a park, and perceptions of walkability and safety from crime were low. To enhance physical activity and health of low-income mothers and their children, investments are needed to close disparities in park access and improve neighborhood safety.


2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Diego Pineda Jaramillo ◽  
Iván Reinaldo Sarmiento Ordosgoitia ◽  
Jorge Eliécer Córdoba Maquilón

Most Colombian freight is transported on roads with barely acceptable conditions, and although there is a speculation about the need for a railway for freight transportation, there is not a study in Colombia showing the variables that influence the modal choice by the companies that generate freight transportation. This article presents the calculation of demand for a hypothetical railway through a discrete choice model. It begins with a qualitative research through focus group techniques to identify the variables that influence the choice of persons responsible for the transportation of large commercial companies in Antioquia (Colombia). The influential variables in the election were the cost and service frequency, and these variables were used to apply a Stated Preference (SP) and Revealed Preference (RP) survey, then to calibrate a Multinomial Logit Model (MNL), and to estimate the influence of each of them. We show that the probability of railway choice by the studied companies varies between 67% and 93%, depending on differences in these variables.


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