01657980

Component

Transport planners continue to make efforts to ensure that walking is a safe, convenient, and comfortable mode of transport. Investments in traffic calming infrastructure and other street design features can help to improve safety as well as work towards neighborhood livability goals and complete streets policies. However, pedestrian motor vehicle collisions (PMVC) in urban areas remain common, occurring at a higher frequency in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods. This spatial distribution of the risk of PMVC is an important transport equity issue. This research examines the location of protective traffic calming measures and other elements associated with pedestrian risk in Toronto, Canada. A database containing information on 2185 PMVCs involving children between the ages of 5-14 is mapped and analysed along with the locations and densities of speed humps, crossing guards, and one-way streets. The authors' analysis shows clear correlations between clusters of low income census tracts and higher densities of crashes, fewer traffic calming measures, and more crossing guards per length of streets. The authors discuss these findings in the context of pedestrian safety policy.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANF00 Section - Pedestrians and Cycles. Alternate title: Pedestrian Risk and Social Equity: The Spatial Distribution of Roadway Built Environment Features in Toronto, Canada

18-05294

English

10p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References; Tables

Built environment; Children; Equity; Low income groups; Pedestrian safety; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Risk taking; Traffic calming; Traffic distribution; Urban areas

Predictive control

Toronto (Canada)

Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-05294

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 11:20AM