Impact of Transit Stop Location on Pedestrian Safety

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2017

Subject Area

mode - bus, place - north america, infrastructure - stop, planning - safety/accidents, land use - impacts

Keywords

bus stop, pedestrian safety, pedestrian crash data, crosswalk

Abstract

This research involved a GIS analysis of pedestrian crashes that occurred within 100 feet of bus stops in Broward County and Palm Beach County, Florida between 2011 and 2014. There were 357 such pedestrian crashes in Broward County and 221 in Palm Beach County. Only 18 of the crashes in Broward County, or 5 percent, involved a bus patron. In Palm Beach County, it was 8 of the crashes or 3.6 percent. When reviewing the crash reports, the single most recurring theme was pedestrians not using the crosswalk or crossing against the traffic light. After the crashes were mapped, the bus stops were ranked for pedestrian safety based on three weighted variables: the number of pedestrian crashes within 100 feet of that bus stop, the annual average daily traffic of the street, and the number of bus passenger on/offs at that bus stop. A road safety audit (RSA) was conducted at five intersection locations in Broward County and another five intersections in Palm Beach County by a crossdisciplinary team. The RSA team was composed of university researchers, state and local government transportation engineers and planners, and transit agency staff. During the audit, numerous instances of pedestrians crossing mid-block were observed and documented. The RSA resulted in specific pedestrian safety improvements being recommended. More importantly, a systematic process was created whereby the Florida Department of Transportation can regularly evaluate bus stop locations for pedestrian safety.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by National Center for Transit Research, copyright remains with them.

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