Analysis of Geographic, Temporal, and Socioeconomic Shifts in Pedestrian & Bicyclist Traffic Injuries
Project Description
Understanding where, when, and to whom crashes are occurring is essential to preventing future pedestrian and bicyclist injuries. This project will cover eight states but have additional focus on shifts in pedestrian and bicyclist injuries in Wisconsin. It will complement quantitative data analysis with practitioner interviews in Wisconsin to explore transportation infrastructure, policy, or land development changes that may have contributed to shifts in patterns of K&A pedestrian and bicyclist crashes. We will investigate the following questions: 1) How much did fatal, severe, and non-severe pedestrian and bicyclist injuries change over the last decade? 2) What geographic shifts occurred in pedestrian and bicyclist crashes at each injury severity level over the last decade? 3) What time-of-day shifts occurred in pedestrian and bicyclist crashes at each injury severity level over the last decade? 4) Why did these geographic and temporal shifts in different injury levels occur? To explore this key question, we will attempt to connect shifts in crash locations and times with shifts in the socioeconomic characteristics of pedestrians and bicyclists involved in crashes. We will examine the characteristics of individual pedestrians and bicyclists involved in crashes as well as characteristics of the area surrounding crash locations (e.g., analyze the types of jobs and socioeconomic characteristics in the census tracts near specific crash locations). We will also compare urban versus rural areas.
Outputs
The research team will produce a final technical report with static maps that show geographic shifts and static charts that show temporal shifts. We will use ArcGIS Online and other interactive data visualization tools to create a web-based dashboard for the general public to see the maps and charts change over the decade. These tools will help practitioners understand the results more clearly and also increase awareness of pedestrian safety trends and needs among the general public.
Outcomes / Impacts
The final report will identify notable differences by state, metropolitan region, and even general types of neighborhood areas. The final report will include recommendations for focusing safety treatments in certain parts of metropolitan regions (e.g., along suburban arterial roadways) and at certain times of day (e.g., before midnight) that are experiencing increases in pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries. It will also recommend further research to address data and analysis limitations.
Our tech transfer will include posting the report and interactive tools to the CPBS website. We will also share the deliverables with the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, Institute of Transportation Engineers, State DOT Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinators, and other professional network e-mail lists, and present the tool to at least two major conference audiences.
Finally, the analysis approaches and results of this study will covered in the UWM Urban Planning Department graduate Pedestrian & Bicycle Transportation course and in the Civil and Environmental Engineering undergraduate Urban Transportation Planning course and graduate Methods of Transportation Analysis course.
Dates
06/01/2024 to 05/31/2025
Universities
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Principal Investigator
Robert J. Schneider, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
ORCID: 0000-0002-6225-3615
Research Project Funding
Federal: $90,018
Non-Federal: $84,293
Contract Number
69A3552348336
Project Number
23UNM01
Research Priority
Promoting Safety