Traffic Calming Effects on Pedestrian and Motorist Behavior in U.S. Cities

A study by Herman F. Huang of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center collected 'before' and 'after' data at treatment and control sites in multiple U.S. cities. The data likely contains observations on vehicle speeds, pedestrian waiting times, and motorist yielding behavior. The objective was to evaluate the effects of traffic calming treatments like bulbouts, raised intersections, and refuge islands.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between specific traffic calming treatments and vehicle speeds based on the study's key findings.
• Analyzing the effect of raised crosswalks with flashers on motorist yielding rates for pedestrians.
• Evaluating how refuge islands influence pedestrian channelization into marked crosswalks.
• Comparing pedestrian waiting times at treatment versus control sites for different calming measures.

Strengths

• Data collected from multiple U.S. cities including Cambridge, MA, and Seattle, WA, providing geographic diversity.
• Study design includes 'before' and 'after' data as well as treatment and control sites for comparison.
• Key findings are provided, such as overall lower vehicle speeds at treatment sites and specific effects of raised crosswalks with flashers.

Limitations

• Row count and specific column definitions are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• The description notes it is 'not known' what part of an improvement was attributable to specific combined treatments.
• The license is listed as closed, which may restrict usage.

Provenance

Source

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, author Herman F. Huang.

Collection Method

'Before' and 'after' data collection at treatment and control sites in multiple U.S. cities.

Geography

Cambridge, MA; Corvallis, OR; Seattle, WA; Durham, NC; Greensboro, NC; Montgomery County, MD; Richmond, VA; Sacramento, CA.