This study was focused on evaluating the effectiveness that high-visibility crosswalk (HVC) markings have on improving pedestrian safety. Naturalistic driving data was used to analyze vehicle kinematics and driver behavior in relation to the approach and traversal of HVC locations before and after their implementation. Traffic safety surrogates were developed and evaluated in the presence of different marking types, configurations, and for varying driver characteristics. The findings indicate that the placement of pedestrian crossing signs in advance of the HVC significantly improved the safety surrogates, ladder type configurations were the most effective overall in affecting driver behavior including external scanning patterns, and that targeting education and awareness programs towards young and older drivers could prove to be successful in enhancing the effectiveness of HVC implementations. This study, utilizing naturalistic driving data, provides a more comprehensive analysis on the overall effectiveness of all types and implementations of HVCs.
The book's website (with databases and other support materials) can be accessed here. Praise for the Second Edition: The second edition introduces an especially broad set of statistical methods ... As a lecturer in both transportation and marketing research, I find this book an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate, Master’s and Ph.D. students, covering topics from simple descriptive statistics to complex Bayesian models. ... It is one of the few books that cover an extensive set of statistical methods needed for data analysis in transportation. The book offers a wealth of examples from the transportation field. —The American Statistician Statistical and Econometric Methods for Transportation Data Analysis, Third Edition offers an expansion over the first and second editions in response to the recent methodological advancements in the fields of econometrics and statistics and to provide an increasing range of examples and corresponding data sets. It describes and illustrates some of the statistical and econometric tools commonly used in transportation data analysis. It provides a wide breadth of examples and case studies, covering applications in various aspects of transportation planning, engineering, safety, and economics. Ample analytical rigor is provided in each chapter so that fundamental concepts and principles are clear and numerous references are provided for those seeking additional technical details and applications. New to the Third Edition Updated references and improved examples throughout. New sections on random parameters linear regression and ordered probability models including the hierarchical ordered probit model. A new section on random parameters models with heterogeneity in the means and variances of parameter estimates. Multiple new sections on correlated random parameters and correlated grouped random parameters in probit, logit and hazard-based models. A new section discussing the practical aspects of random parameters model estimation. A new chapter on Latent Class Models. A new chapter on Bivariate and Multivariate Dependent Variable Models. Statistical and Econometric Methods for Transportation Data Analysis, Third Edition can serve as a textbook for advanced undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. students in transportation-related disciplines including engineering, economics, urban and regional planning, and sociology. The book also serves as a technical reference for researchers and practitioners wishing to examine and understand a broad range of statistical and econometric tools required to study transportation problems.
This study conducted a nationwide literature review to obtain the state of knowledge on the relationship between lighting conditions and pedestrian crashes, assessing how lighting countermeasures at crosswalks improve pedestrian safety. The study gathered information on crosswalk lighting treatments, existing national guidelines for lighting at pedestrian crossings, and safety effectiveness of pedestrian crosswalks lighting. Reducing pedestrian crashes remains a major challenge in the United States. Pedestrian fatalities have been on the rise in the last 10 years, reaching approximately 6,000 fatalities in 2017, which accounted for 16 percent of all traffic fatalities. Among these pedestrian fatalities, about 75 percent occurred in dark conditions. The high number of crashes during dark conditions advocates for prioritizing lighting countermeasures to improve crosswalks visibility and pedestrian safety. This literature review identified overhead lighting, in-road flashing lights, and bollard level lights as the most used crosswalk lighting treatments. For crosswalk lighting and the amount of light needed to detect pedestrians crossing during nighttime, transportation agencies should consider, wherever feasible, providing adequate lighting at pedestrian crossings, especially where nighttime pedestrian volumes are high. Existing national guidelines recommend the light source to be located at least 10 ft. in front of the crosswalks, a vertical illuminance of 20 lux measured at a height of 5 ft. above the road surface, and street lights to be placed on both sides of the roadway. The review revealed a small number of studies that investigated pedestrian safety with respect to crosswalk lighting. These studies were grouped in three categories: behavioral, modeling, and crash studies. The behavioral studies showed, in general, enhanced lighting at crosswalks led to an improvement in drivers' awareness and yielding to pedestrians, an increase in pedestrian observational behavior, and an increase in the car stopping distance before crosswalks. The modeling studies showed that providing street lighting is associated with lower probabilities of pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries. Crash studies found that providing adequate lighting at intersections helps to reduce the frequency of nighttime crashes and increase safety. Although there is evidence that crosswalk lighting, especially intersection lighting, has a positive impact on nighttime crashes, it is the researchers' conclusion that extensive before-after studies are needed to investigate the safety effects of crosswalks lighting on pedestrian crashes and visibility as well as to develop appropriate crash modification factors. A survey is also recommended to collect information from states or municipalities that may have implemented such countermeasures.
This purpose of the study was to identify problems associated with pedestrian-vehicle interactions at intersections, develop countermeasure concepts that would reduce these problems, and evaluate the most desirable countermeasures to determine their effectiveness. As an additional phase, Federal Highway Administration included a study to evaluate alternatives to full signalization at pedestrian crossings. The study was divided into three phases: Phase I was reported in Volume II, Identification of Safety and Operational Problems and was directed at identifying and defining the safety and operational problems associated with the interaction of pedestrians and vehicles at intersections. Phase II was divided into two tasks. Task A conducted research dealing with signal timing for the pedestrian. Task B was directed towards pedestrian signal display and operation research. Task A reported in Volume III, Signal Timing for the Pedestrian was directed at making recommendations concerning improvements in the timing of pedestrian traffic signals, both to maximize safety and to minimize delay. The report was divided into three sections: 1. Timing for a Combined Pedestrian-Vehicle Interval. 2. Alternative Phasing Schemes. 3. Other Areas of Pedestrian Signal Research. Task B was reported in Volume IV. Pedestrian Signal Displays and Operation was directed at evaluating pedestrian signal displays and operations. The study was divided into three parts: 1. Lunar vs. Clear White "WALK" Lens Study. 2. Word Message and Operation Study. 3. Symbol Message Study. Phase III reported in Volume V, Evaluation of Alternatives to Full Signalization at Pedestrian Crossings, was to develop traffic control devices that could be used as alternatives to full signalization at pedestrian crossings that are located at intersections. These traffic control devices were evaluated at the intersection of an arterial street with a low-volume residential street where adequate gaps in the traffic steam do not exist to allow pedestrians to cross the arterial street safely. The study was divided into two parts: identification of alternative pedestrian crossing designs, and field evaluations.
TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 672: Roundabouts: An Informational Guide - Second Edition explores the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of roundabouts. The report also addresses issues that may be useful in helping to explain the trade-offs associated with roundabouts. This report updates the U.S. Federal Highway Administration's Roundabouts: An Informational Guide, based on experience gained in the United States since that guide was published in 2000.
TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) and National Cooperative Highway Research Program have jointly produced and published Improving Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings. The product, which can be referred to as TCRP Report 112 or NCHRP Report 562, examines selected engineering treatments to improve safety for pedestrians crossing high-volume and high-speed roadways at unsignalized locations. The report presents the edited final report and Appendix A. TCRP Web-Only Document 30/NCHRP Web-Only Document 91 (Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings: Appendices B to O) contains the remaining appendixes of the contractor's final report.
