UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2006 A decision support tool to identify countermeasures for pedestrian safety Madhuri Uddaraju University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Uddaraju, Madhuri, "A decision support tool to identify countermeasures for pedestrian safety" (2006). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1993. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/jf5i-dp7b This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A DECISION SUPPORT TOOL TO IDENTIFY COUNTERMEASURES FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY by Madhuri Uddaraju E.I.T Bachelor of Technology Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University - Kakinada, India 2003 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1436806 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Thesis Approval uNiy The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas APRIL 14 20 06 The Thesis prepared by MADHURI UDDARAJU Entitled A DECISION SUPPORT TOOL TO IDENTIFY COUNTERMEASURES FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING Examination Committee Chair 6t ; Dean of the Graduate College lamination Committee Member Ï K.'JCV Examination Committee Member Graduate College Faculty Representative 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT A Decision Support Tool to Identify Countermeasures for Pedestrian Safety by Madhuri Uddaraju Dr. Shashi Nambisan, Thesis Committee Chair Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Nevada, Las Vegas Enhancing pedestrian safety and providing a pedestrian-friendly environment are key goals for urban planning and public works organizations. The primary tasks to be accomplished in enhancing pedestrian safety include identifying high pedestrian risk locations and implementing appropriate countermeasures to minimize the risks. The selection of such countermeasures to address specific pedestrian safety concerns should be done based on factors that influence the risks. A methodology to identify suitable countermeasures for various scenarios is developed in this research. The factors considered for selection are crash contributing factors, roadway functional class, posted speed limits, type of location (intersection/non-intersection), vulnerable age groups of pedestrians, and average daily traffic. A computerized decision support tool that helps the user to identify appropriate pedestrian safety countermeasures is developed. This tool is automated in Microsoft Excel environment using Visual Basic Applications. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................ vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.....................................................................................................ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................1 Pedestrian Safety Facts .......................................................................................................1 High Crash Locations ......................................................................................................... 1 Crash Characteristics..........................................................................................................2 Pedestrian Countermeasures .............................................................................................. 3 Motivation ............................................................................................................................3 Objective..............................................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................. 5 Crash Data Analysis ............................................................................................................5 Identification of High Pedestrian Crash zones..................................................................6 Pedestrian Crash Countermeasures and Safety Programs ...............................................7 Pedestrian Crosswalk ........................................................................................................11 Traffic Calming Measures ............................................................................................... 12 Illuminated Push Button ...................................................................................................12 Advance Yield Markings ..................................................................................................13 Speed Reduction Measures .............................................................................................. 13 ITS Countermeasures ........................................................................................................15 Countermeasures for Pedestrians with Disabilities ........................................................ 16 Pedestrian Safety on Highways ....................................................................................... 17 Pedestrian Safety by Location Type ................................................................................18 Older Pedestrians.............................................................................................................. 19 Child Pedestrians..............................................................................................................20 Pedestrian Countermeasure Matrix/ Tool .......................................................................21 Guides and Model Programs ............................................................................................22 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 3 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN...................................................... 24 Theme of Proposed Study ................................................................................................24 Functional Needs ..............................................................................................................25 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. 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Data Requirements ............................................................................................................ 26 Analytical Framework ......................................................................................................26 Road Functional Class ............................................................................................ 27 Contributing Factors ................................................................................................28 Location ....................................................................................................................29 Speed Limit .............................................................................................................. 30 Age Group of Pedestrians ....................................................................................... 31 Average Daily Traffic (ADT) .................................................................................31