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Evaluating the "Safety In Numbers" Effect With Estimated Pedestrian Activity

Author

Listed:
  • Brendan Murphy
  • David Levinson
  • Andrew Owen

    (Nexus (Networks, Economics, and Urban Systems) Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota)

Abstract

Pedestrian and bicyclist collision risk assessment offers a powerful and informative tool in urban planning applications, and can greatly serve to inform proper placement of improvements and treatment projects. However, sufficiently detailed data regarding pedestrian and bicycle activity are not readily available for many urban areas, and thus the activity levels and collision risk levels must be estimated. This study builds upon other current work by the authors regarding pedestrian and bicycle activity estimation based on centrality and accessibility metrics, and extends the analysis techniques to estimation of pedestrian collision risk. The Safety In Numbers phenomenon, which refers to the observable effect that pedestrians become safer when there are more pedestrians present in a given area, i.e. that the individual per-pedestrian risk of a collision decreases with additional pedestrians, is a readily observed phenomenon that has been studied previously. The effect is investigated and observed in acquired traffic data, as well as estimated data, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Suggested Citation

  • Brendan Murphy & David Levinson & Andrew Owen, 2015. "Evaluating the "Safety In Numbers" Effect With Estimated Pedestrian Activity," Working Papers 000136, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group.
    • Handle: RePEc:nex:wpaper:safetyinnumbers
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/11299/179818
    File Function: First version, 2015
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brendan Murphy & David Levinson & Andrew Owen, 2015. "Accessibility and Centrality Based Estimation of Urban Pedestrian Activity," Working Papers 000143, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group.
    2. Zhang, Yuanyuan & Bigham, John & Ragland, David & Chen, Xiaohong, 2015. "Investigating the associations between road network structure and non-motorist accidents," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 34-47.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    safety; walking; safety-in-numbers; crashes; traffic counts; network structure; accessibility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • R42 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government and Private Investment Analysis; Road Maintenance; Transportation Planning

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