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INTRODUCTION: With cycling gaining more popularity in urban areas, it is vital to obtain accurate knowledge of cyclists' behavior to develop behavioral models that can predict the cyclist's intent. Most conflicts between cyclists and vehicles happen at crossings where the road users share the path, especially at unsignalized intersections. However, few studies have investigated and modeled the interaction between cyclists and vehicles at unsignalized intersections. METHOD: A bike simulator experiment was conducted to scrutinize cyclists' response process as they interacted with a passenger car at an unsignalized intersection. An existing unsignalized intersection in Gothenburg was simulated for test participants. Two independent variables were varied across trials: the difference in time to arrival at the intersection (DTA) and intersection visibility (IV). Subjective and quantitative data were analyzed to model the cyclists' behavior. RESULTS: When approaching the intersection, cyclists showed a clear sequence of actions (pedaling, braking, and head turning). The distance from the intersection at which cyclists started braking was significantly affected by the two independent variables. It was also found that DTA, looking duration, and pedaling behavior significantly affected cyclists' decisions to yield. Finally, the questionnaire outputs show that participants missed eye contact or communication with the motorized vehicle. CONCLUSIONS: The kinematic interaction between cyclists and vehicles, along with the cyclist's response process (visual and kinematic), can be utilized to predict cyclists' yielding decision at intersections. From the infrastructural perspective, enhancing visibility at intersections has the potential to reduce the severity of interactions between cyclists and vehicles. The analysis of the questionnaire emphasizes the significance of visual communication between cyclists and drivers to support the cyclist's decision-making process when yielding. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The models can be used in threat assessment algorithms so that active safety systems and automated vehicles can react safely to the presence of cyclists in conflict scenarios.
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Ciclismo , Simulación por Computador , Humanos , Masculino , Adulto , Femenino , Vehículos a Motor , Adulto Joven , Planificación Ambiental , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Lane departure collisions account for many roadway fatalities across the United States. Many of these crashes occur on horizontal curves or ramps and are due to speeding. This research investigates factors that impact the odds of speeding on Interstate horizontal curves and ramps. METHOD: We collected and combined two unique sources of data. The first database involves comprehensive curve and ramp characteristics collected by an automatic road analyzer (ARAN) vehicle; the second database includes volume, average speed, and speed distribution gathered from probe data provided by StreetLight Insight®. We evaluated the impacts of level of service (LOS), which reflects traffic density or level of congestion, time of the day (morning, evening, and off-peak hours), time of the week (weekdays and weekends), and month of the year (Jan-Dec), and various information about geometric characteristics, such as curve radius, arc angle, and superelevation, on odds of speeding. RESULTS: The results show that the odds of speeding increases at horizontal curves with improved levels of service, as well as those with larger radii and superelevation. The odds of speeding decreases on curves with larger arc angles and during the winter months of the year. The findings indicate a reduction in odds of speeding at diagonal/loop ramps with larger arc angles and narrower lane widths. CONCLUSION: The results show the importance of using speed enforcement and other countermeasures to reduce speeding on curves with low traffic volumes, high speed limits, and large radius and superelevation, especially for those in rural areas. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results could be used to prioritize locations for the installation of speed countermeasures or dispatch enforcement resources to high-priority locations and times.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Conducción de Automóvil , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Conducción de Automóvil/estadística & datos numéricos , Estados Unidos , Planificación Ambiental , Bases de Datos FactualesRESUMEN
Ecological security pattern is an important spatial way to maintain ecological processes and ensure the stability of ecosystem functions. As the implementation of landscape planning and decision-making, it is critically needed to consider the consistency of differentiated methods and their spatial outputs in the construction of ecological security patterns and the matching and applicability of research objects. From the perspective of integration, we combined the regional topography and landscape characteristics, integrated the morphological spatial pattern analysis and the importance evaluation results of ecosystem services to identify the ecological source, and constructed the ecological security pattern of the Ansai District of Yan'an City, the main implementation area of the Grain-for-Green Project on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that the structural and functional construction methods had low consistency in the identification of spatial protection priority. The integration-oriented method could complement each other and achieve the dual goals of structural connectivity and functional improvement. There were 202 ecological sources in the study area, with a total area of 391.58 km2, accounting for 13.3% of the total area of the study area. There were 110 ecological corridors in the study area, with a total length of 599 km, which were mainly distributed around the river channel, showing a distribution pattern of 'short and narrow dense in the north and south, long and wide in the middle'. The structure-function integration method provides new insights for ecological restoration planning of land space and promotes the research of landscape pattern, process and service.
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Conservación de los Recursos Naturales , Ecosistema , China , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales/métodos , Altitud , Ecología/métodos , Planificación Ambiental , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodosRESUMEN
Despite the gradual development of students' sedentary habits and associated health problems, only a few studies have extensively and systematically measured campus built environments (CBE) and their impact on street walking activity. This study explores the association between CBEs and pedestrian volume (PV). Comprehensive questionnaires, field audits, and GIS were used to measure the CBE variables and PV of 892 street segments on eight Chinese campuses in Tianjin. We used negative binomial regression models without spatial autocorrelations to investigate the relationship between the CBEs and PV. The findings indicated that campus Walk Score, facility and residential land ratio, campus design qualities, sidewalk conditions, street amenities, and other streetscape features were positively associated with PV. This study presents implications for campus research and planning practices in designing a pedestrian-friendly, sustainable, and healthy campus.
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Entorno Construido , Estudiantes , Caminata , Humanos , Femenino , Masculino , Universidades , China , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Planificación Ambiental , Adulto Joven , Peatones , AdultoRESUMEN
The goal of this study was to understand how neighborhood greenspace access may support or hinder the effectiveness of community programs and policies (CPPs) aimed at reducing racial and ethnic inequities in screen time among 4598 US children. We found higher CPP intensity was significantly associated with fewer screen time behaviors in high greenspace neighborhoods, but not neighborhoods with low or moderate greenspace. Moreover, there were significant differences in greenspace access by neighborhood-level race and ethnicity. Implementing CPPs without regard for racial and ethnic greenspace inequities may be an underlying cause in the perpetuation of inequities in childhood screen time.
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Características de la Residencia , Tiempo de Pantalla , Humanos , Niño , Masculino , Femenino , Estados Unidos , Características del Vecindario , Parques Recreativos , Planificación Ambiental , Etnicidad/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
The future will witness the substantial worldwide growth of older people with functional limitations or disabilities who have difficulties leaving their dwellings and traveling to their neighborhoods or other community destinations to realize their obligatory and discretionary needs and goals. This commentary offers conceptual arguments and literature findings proposing that the dwellings of this vulnerable population deserve new scrutiny because they have become more salient and positively experienced places to live where their occupants can maintain their independence and age in place. The catalyst for this commentary is the emergence of gerontechnological innovations relying on digital and sensor technologies, offering these older occupants a new category of dwelling connectivity solutions-constituting a paradigm shift-whereby goods, care, services, social supports, and information and leisure activities can be delivered to their houses and apartments. Incorporating this technological component has transformed their dwellings into dynamic "control centers," connecting their occupants in real-time with the resources and activities offered in other places. These solutions enable older people to cope more effectively with declines and losses because their ability to live independently is less threatened by challenges they face accessing destinations with inadequate transportation options and less age-friendly land use or physical design features. By occupying more supportive, safer, and connected dwellings, these older people have overall more positive and salient residential mastery emotional experiences and feel more competent and in control of their lives and environment. Planning or policy recommendations directed to the World Health Organization (WHO) and its age-friendly city/community agenda follow from its conclusions. They highlight how dwelling environments containing gerontechnological solutions are becoming more critical influences of "active aging." The commentary recommends that WHO allocates more resources to dwelling interventions that increase the awareness, availability, usability, and acceptability of these gerontechnological solutions, thus reducing the disincentives for older people to be adopters.
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Vida Independiente , Limitación de la Movilidad , Humanos , Anciano , Planificación Ambiental , Viviendas para AncianosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The association between social and built environments plays a crucial role in influencing physical activity levels. However, a thorough understanding of their combined impact remains unclear. This scoping review seeks to clarify the interplay between social environments and opportunities for physical activity within different built environments, with a particular focus on the implications of socioeconomic status and urban planning on physical activity participation. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search across several databases to identify studies exploring the associations between social factors, built environment characteristics, and physical activity levels. The inclusion criteria were studies published in English between 2000 and 2022, encompassing urban, suburban, and rural contexts. Thematic analysis was employed to categorise studies based on the specific aspects of the built environment they investigated (walking infrastructure, cycling infrastructure, parks and open spaces, and sports facilities) and the social determinants they examined. RESULTS: A total of 72 studies were included in the review, illustrating a multifaceted relationship between access to physical activity opportunities and social determinants such as socioeconomic status, community engagement, and urban design. The findings highlight the significant role of socioeconomic factors and the quality of PA infrastructure in promoting or hindering PA across communities. Effective urban planning was identified as crucial in providing expanded physical activity opportunities, notably through more pedestrian-friendly environments, comprehensive cycling infrastructure, and accessible green spaces and sports facilities. CONCLUSIONS: This review emphasises the significant impact of socioeconomic status and urban planning on access to physical activity opportunities. This underscores the necessity for urban planning policies to adopt an inclusive approach, considering the varied needs of different population groups to ensure equitable access to physical activity resources. Such strategies are crucial for public health initiatives aimed at enhancing physical activity levels across diverse community sectors, offering a potential avenue to alleviate health disparities associated with inactivity.
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Entorno Construido , Planificación de Ciudades , Ejercicio Físico , Medio Social , Humanos , Planificación Ambiental , Clase Social , Factores SocioeconómicosRESUMEN
An important consideration in studies of the relationship between greenspace exposure and health is the use of mapped data to assign geographic exposures to participants. Previous studies have used validated data from municipal park departments to describe the boundaries of public greenspaces. However, this approach assumes that these data accurately describe park boundaries, that formal parks fully capture the park and greenspace exposure of residents, and (for studies that use personal GPS traces to assign participant exposures) that time spent within these boundaries represents time spent in greenspace. These assumptions are tested using a comparison and ground-truthing of four sources of mapped park and greenspace data in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: PAD-US-AR, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and Open Street Maps. We find several important differences and tradeoffs in these data: the incorporation of highways and building lots within park boundaries, the inclusion or exclusion of formal park spaces (federal, state, and nonprofit), the exclusion of informal parks and greenspaces, and inconsistent boundaries for a linear park. Health researchers may wish to consider these issues when conducting studies using boundary data to assign park exposure.
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Parques Recreativos , Philadelphia/epidemiología , Humanos , Parques Recreativos/estadística & datos numéricos , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/efectos adversos , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/estadística & datos numéricos , Recreación , Mapeo Geográfico , Planificación Ambiental , Características de la Residencia , Entorno Construido , Sistemas de Información GeográficaRESUMEN
Health-promoting outdoor environments designed for people living with dementia (PLwD) has proved to be an effective non-pharmacological intervention for treatment of symptoms and improved well-being. However, for individuals with Young-Onset Dementia (YOD), who have particular symptoms and needs, the content and design of these environments are underexplored. This study aimed to explore the needs of individuals with YOD in a garden setting, to generate design-related knowledge for 'dementia-friendly' outdoor environments, while contributing to the field of Evidence-Based Design (EBD). An 8-week long nature-based program was carried out in Alnarp's rehabilitation garden, a specifically developed garden based on research from e.g., landscape architecture, environmental psychology and medical science. The study used a triangulation of qualitative methods including six participants with YOD and a multidisciplinary team of five staff members. Content analysis was used for all gathered data, including 17 semi-structured interviews with participants with YOD and with staff. Data collection and analysis was performed based on the evidence-based Quality Evaluation Tool (QET). The study led to a target group adapted version of the QET for people with YOD containing 20 developed environmental qualities for designers to pursue in therapeutic gardens, including the additional quality of Calmness. A progression was noted, as a result of perceived positive effects during the intervention, indicating possible change and development of the group's needs and preferences in the outdoors.
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Demencia , Jardines , Promoción de la Salud , Humanos , Demencia/rehabilitación , Demencia/psicología , Femenino , Masculino , Promoción de la Salud/métodos , Planificación Ambiental , Persona de Mediana Edad , Jardinería , AncianoRESUMEN
Based on the socioecological conceptual model, the physical environment within the home, childcare and neighbourhood domains are key factors that influence preschool children's physical activity; however, the relative importance of each of these domains for preschool children's physical activity is unclear. We explored the physical environment characteristics within three latent profiles of 115 preschool children aged 2-5 years based on where they accumulated moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) across five GPS-derived environmental domains. The three profiles were "Active at home" (n = 41), "Active except close to home" (n = 61), and "Active except in local neighbourhood" (n = 13). Compared to other profiles, "Active at home" had fewer parks and playgrounds within their 500-1600 m neighbourhood. Findings suggest preschool children's MVPA profiles are reflections of their physical environmental opportunities.
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Ejercicio Físico , Características de la Residencia , Humanos , Preescolar , Femenino , Masculino , Ambiente en el Hogar , Sistemas de Información Geográfica , Planificación Ambiental , Juego e Implementos de Juego , Guarderías Infantiles , Parques RecreativosRESUMEN
Research has increasingly focused on the environmental features within talent and performance development settings. However, practitioner perspectives on their role in optimizing these environments are scarce. This study aimed to examine practitioner perspectives of the role of the environment, specifically, how they plan, deliver and review (p-D-R) to optimize environmental conditions for athletes. Ten sports practitioners (including managers, coaches and multidisciplinary support staff) took part in semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis and generated themes associated with Planning (Conceptualization, Planning and Meeting Athlete's Needs), Delivering (Explicit, Implicit, Support, Communication, Holistic Approach) and Reviewing (KPIs, Evaluation & Monitoring, Rolling Review, Review Process). Findings suggest that to offer the best possible experiences to participants, practitioners must have a clear view of their objectives and involve all stakeholders associated with delivery at the planning stage. Much of the delivery aspect aligned with notions of effective TDEs suggesting practitioners had a clear awareness of what works for them in their contexts. Reviewing the environment appeared to be the activity practitioners undertook the least, this may reflect the complex and dynamic nature of the environment in sports settings.
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Deportes , Humanos , Deportes/psicología , Entrevistas como Asunto , Comunicación , Ambiente , Investigación Cualitativa , Masculino , Instalaciones Deportivas y Recreativas , Planificación Ambiental , Rendimiento Atlético/psicología , Rendimiento Atlético/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Urban greenways are multipurpose and multi-user trails that provide a range of socio-ecological and health benefits, including active transportation, social interactions, and increased well-being. However, despite their numerous benefits, barriers exist that limit urban greenway access and use, particularly among older and disadvantaged adults. This study addresses a significant research gap by examining the nuanced factors that influence the choices and experiences of these specific user groups in Québec City, Canada. We use a mixed-methods' approach to explore the facilitators of and barriers to access and use of two urban greenway trails among older and disadvantaged adults. Our methods included a greenway user count, 96 observation time slots, and 15 semi-structured user interviews. The results revealed significant use of greenway trails by older adults for afternoon walks in both seasons studied (autumn and winter). We also observed variations in use patterns, such as higher levels of solitary walking, reduced levels of winter cycling, and the impracticality of the secondary greenway trail owing to snow conditions. In addition, the findings revealed a wide range of factors that influence greenway access and use, categorized as individual or personal, physical or built environment, social environment, and meteorological or climatic dimensions. Future research can build on these insights to design and assess interventions that capitalize on the facilitators and address any barriers, enhancing the value of urban greenways for older and disadvantaged adults.
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Poblaciones Vulnerables , Humanos , Quebec , Femenino , Masculino , Anciano , Persona de Mediana Edad , Caminata/estadística & datos numéricos , Planificación Ambiental , Transportes , Población Urbana , Adulto , Entrevistas como Asunto , Entorno Construido , Estaciones del Año , Anciano de 80 o más AñosRESUMEN
It is widely assumed crime and related concerns, including neighborhood incivilities and fear of crime, are barriers to physical activity (PA). Past studies reveal mixed evidence. Studies of impacts for crime-protective factors are less common but have similarly mixed results. This paper evaluates a comprehensive transdisciplinary conceptual framework of cross-sectional associations between crime-related perceptions and reported minutes/week of recreational walking inside and outside one's home neighborhood. Safe and Fit Environments Study (SAFE) recruited and surveyed 2302 participants from adolescents to older adults from four U.S. metropolitan areas. A zero-inflated model estimated two components of each outcome: whether the respondent walked, and minutes/week walked. Correlates of recreational walking were location-specific, differing based on walking location. Fear of crime, risk evaluation, victimization, and incivilities were not consistently associated with walking for recreation inside one's neighborhood. People with crime concerns about their own neighborhoods, however, more commonly walked for recreation outside their neighborhoods. Protective crime-related perceptions that seldom have been studied in relation to PA, such as street efficacy (i.e., the perceived ability to avoid and manage danger), were strongly associated with recreational walking in both locations, indicating the additional heuristic value of the SAFE conceptual framework. Crime-related perceptions and walking for recreation: Evaluating a conceptual model.
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Crimen , Recreación , Características de la Residencia , Caminata , Humanos , Caminata/psicología , Masculino , Femenino , Adulto , Adolescente , Estudios Transversales , Persona de Mediana Edad , Anciano , Percepción , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto Joven , Estados Unidos , Planificación AmbientalRESUMEN
There is evidence that neighbourhood walkability and greenery are associated with walking, but less is known about their joint associations. We investigated this using data from the AusDiab3 study (2011/12) with 3032 adults (mean age 60 years). Two-level logistic regression models were used with binary walking outcomes. There was an inverse relationship (r = -0.5) between walkability (a composite measure of residential, destinations and intersections densities) and greenery (the size of densely vegetated areas). However, both walkability and greenery were independently positively associated with odds of walking. Regarding joint associations, in low-walkability neighbourhoods, greenery was positively associated with walking. In high-walkability neighbourhoods, greenery was not associated with walking.
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Planificación Ambiental , Características de la Residencia , Caminata , Humanos , Caminata/estadística & datos numéricos , Femenino , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Australia , Anciano , Características del Vecindario , Población Urbana/estadística & datos numéricos , Parques Recreativos/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Urban environments pose challenges to mental health, an issue that Urban Green Spaces (UGS) can potentially mitigate. While the benefits of nature contact for mental wellbeing are recognized, a multidimensional analysis remains unexplored. PURPOSE: This study aims to fill this gap by examining the association between nature contact within UGS and mental health. It underscores the importance of considering multiple dimensions of nature engagement-such as naturalness, intensity, duration, frequency, and infrastructure-in enhancing psychological wellbeing. METHOD: A comprehensive analysis, including canonical correlation, multivariate analyses of variance, and Fisher discriminant analysis, was applied to survey data from several Brazilian metropolitan cities to assess how different aspects of nature contact influence mental health. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Findings reveal association between these dimensions and mental wellbeing indicators, highlighting the importance of a multidimensional perspective. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results advocate for incorporating diverse aspects of nature contact in UGS design and policy-making to enhance urban dwellers' mental health. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Further research should focus on longitudinal studies and explore the mediating effects of socio-demographic factors. Additionally, expanding research to include other developing countries will provide valuable comparative insights.
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Ciudades , Salud Mental , Parques Recreativos , Humanos , Brasil , Masculino , Femenino , Adulto , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Persona de Mediana Edad , Población Urbana , Planificación Ambiental , AdolescenteRESUMEN
As electric bikes (e-bikes) rapidly develop in China, their traffic safety issues are becoming increasingly prominent. Accurately detecting risky riding behaviors and conducting mechanism analysis on the multiple risk factors are crucial in formulating and implementing precise management policies. The emergence of shared e-bikes and the advancements in interpretable machine learning present new opportunities for accurately analyzing the determinants of risky riding behaviors. The primary objective of this study is to examine and analyze the risk factors related to speeding behavior to aid urban management agencies in crafting necessary management policies. This study utilizes a large-scale dataset of shared e-bike trajectory data to establish a framework for detecting speeding behavior. Subsequently, the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model is employed to identify the level of speeding risk by leveraging its excellent identification ability. Moreover, based on measuring the degree of interaction among road, traffic, and weather characteristics, the investigation of the complex interactive effects of these risk factors on high-risk speeding is conducted using bivariate partial dependence plots (PDP) by its superior parsing ability. Feature importance analysis results indicate that the top five ranked variables that significantly affect the identified results of speed risk levels are land use density, rainfall, road level, curbside parking density, and bike lane width. The interaction analysis results indicate that higher levels of road and bike lane width correspond to an increased possibility of high-risk speeding among riders. Land use density, curbside parking density, and rainfall display a nonlinear effect on high-risk speeding. Introducing road level, bike lane width, and time interval could change the patterns of nonlinear effects in land use density, curbside parking density, and rainfall. Finally, several policy recommendations are proposed to improve e-bike traffic safety by utilizing the extracted feature values associated with a higher probability of high-risk speeding.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Ciclismo , Tiempo (Meteorología) , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , China , Factores de Riesgo , Ciclismo/estadística & datos numéricos , Asunción de Riesgos , Conducción de Automóvil/estadística & datos numéricos , Aprendizaje Automático , Planificación AmbientalRESUMEN
The advancement of intelligent road systems in developing countries poses unique challenges in identifying risk factors and implementing safety strategies. The variability of factors affecting crash injury severity leads to different risks across levels of roadway smartness, especially in hazardous terrains, complicating the adaptation of smart technologies. Therefore, this study investigates the temporal instability of factors affecting injury severities in crashes across various terrains, with a focus on the evolution of road smartness. Crash data from selected complex terrain regions in Shaanxi Province during smart road adaptation were used, and categorized into periods before, during, and after smart road implementations. A series of mixed logit models were employed to account for unobserved heterogeneity in mean and variance, and likelihood ratio tests were conducted to assess the spatio-temporal instability of model parameters across different topographic settings and smart processes. Moreover, a comparison between partially constrained and unconstrained temporal modeling approaches was made. The findings reveal significant differences in injury severity determinants across terrain conditions as roadway intelligence progressed. On the other hand, certain factors like pavement damage, truck and pedestrian involvement were identified that had relatively stable effects on crash injury severities. Out-of-sample predictions further emphasize the need for modeling across terrain and roadway development stages. These insights are crucial for developing tailored safety measures for smart road retrofitting in different terrain conditions, thereby supporting the transition towards smarter road systems in developing regions.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Planificación Ambiental , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Masculino , China/epidemiología , Adulto , Factores de Riesgo , Femenino , Heridas y Lesiones/epidemiología , Heridas y Lesiones/etiología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Modelos Logísticos , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Adulto Joven , Vehículos a Motor/estadística & datos numéricos , Puntaje de Gravedad del Traumatismo , Índices de Gravedad del TraumaRESUMEN
The rise of Express Lanes also known as High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes and Managed Lanes, signifies a major leap in traffic management and transportation funding. Despite their increased deployment to ensure reliable travel times through dynamic tolling during peak traffic periods, a comprehensive evaluation of their safety impact is notably lacking. Presently, the Crash Modification Factors Clearinghouse, a vital resource, only lists two case studies related to Express Lanes, one of which is our own research. This lack of data highlights the critical need for more extensive studies to thoroughly assess the safety benefits of Express Lanes and to improve their application. This study aims to rigorously evaluate the safety impact of express lanes on freeways, presenting a first-of-its-kind, in-depth analysis of their specific effects on both Express Lanes and General-Purpose Lanes (GP-Lanes) individually. The analysis utilized data from 55 miles of Express Lanes across various locations in Florida, comparing them to High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. The results demonstrate that converting HOV lanes to Express Lanes or introducing new ones does not compromise overall freeway safety. In fact, safety within Express Lanes improves, as evidenced by a decrease in crash occurrence and Crash Modification Factors for Express lanes, which are below "1" across all crash categories. This underscores the effectiveness of Express lanes in enhancing roadway safety. In contrast, incidents in GP-Lanes have increased, indicating a shift of crashes to these lanes, and thus making Express lanes relatively safer. This underlines the importance of continued research into the safety impact of express lanes and calls for further studies to refine traffic management strategies, aiming at enhancing travel efficiency while ensuring traffic safety, especially for the GP-Lanes amid the expansion of express lanes.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Planificación Ambiental , Seguridad , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Humanos , Florida , Conducción de AutomóvilRESUMEN
Pedestrian fatalities comprise a quarter of all traffic deaths in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The use of safer modes of transport such as buses can reduce road trauma as well as air pollution and traffic congestion. Although travelling by bus is safer than most other modes, accessing bus stops can be risky for pedestrians. This paper systematically reviews factors contributing to the safety of pedestrians near bus stops in countries of differing income levels. The review included forty-one studies from high (20), upper-middle (13) and lower-middle income countries (8) during the last two decades. The earliest research was conducted in high-income countries (HICs), but research has spread in the last decade. The factors influencing pedestrian safety fell into three groups: (a) characteristics of road users, (b) characteristics of bus stops and (c) characteristics of the road traffic environment. Pedestrians near bus stops are frequently exposed to a high risk of collisions and fatalities due to factors such as unsafe pedestrian behaviours (e.g., hurrying to cross the road), lack of bus stop amenities such as safe footpaths, high traffic speeds and traffic volumes, multiple lanes, and roadside hazards (e.g., parked cars obscuring pedestrians). Road crash statistics are commonly used to identify unsafe bus stops in HICs but the unavailability and unreliability of data have prevented more widespread use in LMICs. Future research is recommended to focus on surrogate safety measures to identify hazardous bus stops for pedestrians.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Países en Desarrollo , Renta , Vehículos a Motor , Peatones , Seguridad , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/mortalidad , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Seguridad/estadística & datos numéricos , Vehículos a Motor/estadística & datos numéricos , Planificación Ambiental , Factores de Riesgo , Caminata/lesiones , Caminata/estadística & datos numéricos , Países DesarrolladosRESUMEN
Statistical analysis of traffic crash frequency is significant for figuring out the distribution pattern of crashes, predicting the development trend of crashes, formulating traffic crash prevention measures, and improving traffic safety planning systems. In recent years, the theory and practice for traffic safety management have shown that road crash data have characteristics such as spatial correlation, temporal correlation, and excess zeros. If these characteristics are ignored in the modeling process, it may seriously affect the fitting performance and prediction accuracy of traffic crash frequency models and even lead to incorrect conclusions. In this research, traffic crash data from rural two-way two-lane from four counties in Pennsylvania, USA was modeled considering the spatiotemporal effects of crashes. First, a negative binomial Lindley spatiotemporal effect model of crash frequency was constructed at the micro level; Simultaneously, the characteristics and problems of excess zeros and potential heterogeneity of the crash data were resolved; Finally, the effects of road characteristics on crash frequency were analyzed. The results indicate a significant spatial correlation between the crash frequency of adjacent road sections. Compared with the negative binomial model, the negative binomial Lindley model can better handle the excess zeros characteristics in traffic crash data. The model that considers both spatial correlation and temporal conditional autoregressive effects has the best fit for the observed data. In addition, for road sections that allow passing and have a speed limitation of not less than 50 miles per hour, the crash frequency corresponding to these sections is lower due to their good visibility and road conditions. The increase in average turning angle and intersection density on the horizontal curve of the road section corresponds to an increase in crash frequency.