Street design

The built environment and the determination of fault in urban pedestrian crashes: Toward a systems-oriented crash investigation

New paper: Stiles, J. and Miller, H.J. (2024) “The built environment and the determination of fault in urban pedestrian crashes: Towards systems-oriented crash investigation,”  Journal of Transport and Land Use, 17, 97-113.

Abstract: This study identifies built environmental factors that influence the determination of fault in urban pedestrian crashes in the United States, with implications for both safety and equity. Using data from Columbus, Ohio, we apply regression modeling, spatial analysis, and case studies, and find pedestrians are more likely to be found at fault on fast, high-volume arterial roads with bus stops. We also observe that better provision of crossings leads to more marked intersection crashes, which are less likely to be blamed on pedestrians. In addition, large differences in both the provision of crossings and fault exist between neighborhoods. We interpret findings through the lenses of the systems-oriented safety approaches Safe Systems and Vision Zero. The conclusion argues that the designation of individual responsibility for crashes preempts collective responsibility, preventing wider adoption of design interventions as well as systemic changes to the processes that determine the built environment of US roadways.

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Electric, Autonomous, & Green: The Future of Personal Transportation – Columbus Metropolitan Club – May 3 2023

On Wednesday, May 3 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on the Future of Personal Transportation at the Columbus Metropolitan Club. Joining me on the panel were Preeti Choudhary, Executive Director, DriveOhio, Ted Angel, Director, Aerospace Affairs, Dayton Development Coalition, and  host Walker Evans, Co-Founder & CEO, Columbus Underground.

My main message – the future of personal transportation should be similar to the history of personal transportation – walking, biking and public transit. Electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and advanced air mobility are simply continuations of the same thing we have been trying for a century – cars and car dependence.  As should be clear, cars are not working well, and we can’t solve our car problem with more car-ing.

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Video of the panel discussion

The deadly impact of urban streets that look like highways

New paper: Stiles, J., Li, Y. and Miller, H.J. (2022) “How does street space influence crash frequency? An analysis using segmented street view imagery,” Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083221090962

Abstract.  Road crashes in metropolitan areas are challenging to prevent because they stem from the interactions of drivers and other system users in intricate built environments. Recent theories indicate that features of the built environment may induce unsafe driving by shaping users’ expectations and behaviors. The availability of street view imagery and methods of scene parsing create new possibilities for understanding how features of the built environment influence crash incidence. Most previous crash research using street imagery has applied manual processing methods. In this paper, we develop and apply automated machine parsed imagery in conjunction with self-explaining roads theory to consider how the street space visible to drivers influences crash frequency, using data from Columbus, Ohio, USA. While controlling for road network and area characteristics, we model the association of individual street elements with crash frequency. We then conduct a cluster analysis to define four types of street spaces, which are used in a subsequent model. We find that an Open Road type of metropolitan street space, characterized by more visible sky, roadway, and signage are associated with the greatest increase in crashes, and that the majority of these spaces exist on arterial or collector class road segments. We theorize that the visual similarity of this type of street space to highways promotes faster, less careful driving, which combines with their mixed land uses to make them the least safe. This points to the importance of traffic calming for such roads in high-activity areas, and the need to differentiate environments of non-highways from highways to promote careful driving.

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