New Project (TRCLC 15-9)

TRCLC 15-9: Impact of Access Management Practices to Pedestrian and Bicycle Operations and Safety

PI: Deo Chimba, Tennessee State University

Abstract

The thrust of this proposal falls under the vital role which transportation system and network play in ensuring livability of communities through safe and efficient transportation services. In particular, this study focuses on the impact of access management (AM) practices to the operation and safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. The study which will be conducted in two phases whereby the start of phase two (operations simulation) will depend on phase one (safety evaluation) findings will consider access management practices that impact pedestrian and bicyclists including limiting direct access to and from major streets, locating signals, limiting the number of conflict points and separating conflict areas, removing turning vehicles from through traffic lanes, using nontraversable medians to manage left-turn movements and providing a supporting street and circulation system. All these can affect safety and operations of pedestrian crossing and bicyclist maneuvering. There is a need therefore to address how pedestrians and bicyclists operations and safety are impacted by these different access management practices. The study will correlate through microsimulation the impact of access features to pedestrians and bicyclists operations by evaluating their maneuverability with respect to features such as signalized and non-signalized intersection, intersection spacing, driveway density/spacing, median types and land use types. Furthermore, the study will evaluate through statistical modeling the correlation between access management practices to pedestrian and bicyclists crash types, crash frequency and injury severities.