University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Fall 12-15-2012 The Feasibility of Closing Vehicle Crossings along St. Charles Avenue: A Study of Transit Safety and Performance Vivek B. Shah University of New Orleans, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Part of the Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons, and the Urban Studies and Planning Commons Recommended Citation Shah, Vivek B., "The Feasibility of Closing Vehicle Crossings along St. Charles Avenue: A Study of Transit Safety and Performance" (2012). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1603. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1603 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). 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The Feasibility of Closing Vehicle Crossings along St. Charles Avenue: A Study of Transit Safety and Performance A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Urban and Regional Planning Transportation Planning & Environmental/Hazard Mitigation Planning By Vivek Shah B.A. University of Rochester, 2007 December 2012 © 2012, Vivek Shah ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my thesis committee for all their help. John Renne for his guidance and expertise throughout my masters program and this thesis process; Jeff Roesel of the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission for providing his expertise in travel demand modeling that was so critical in the development and execution of the methodology of this thesis; and Kate Lowe for her guidance and thoughtful comments. A special thanks to my wife Emily. Without her love and support I would not have finished this thesis or my masters program. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and family for their support and thoughtful comments and debates. iii Table of Contents List of Figures....................................................................................................................................vi List of Tables....................................................................................................................................vii List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................viii Abstract............................................................................................................................................ix Chapter 1: Introduction......................................................................................................................1 Overview ...................................................................................................................................................1 Study Area.................................................................................................................................................2 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................................2 Overview of Methodology ........................................................................................................................4 Chapter 2: Literature Review..............................................................................................................6 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................6 Best Practices in Light Rail At-Grade Crossings.........................................................................................6 Current Research and Design Standards...............................................................................................6 Examples of Best Practices....................................................................................................................7 Other Practices to Improve LRT Safety and Performance ......................................................................10 Chapter 3: Methodology ..................................................................................................................13 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................13 Streetcar/Vehicle Crash Analysis ............................................................................................................13 Spatial Analysis....................................................................................................................................13 Temporal Analysis...............................................................................................................................14 Vehicle Crossing Closure Simulation.......................................................................................................14 Level of Service Calculations...................................................................................................................15 Observations of Traffic Conditions during Track Repairs .......................................................................16 Position of Stakeholders .........................................................................................................................17 Chapter 4: Results & Analysis ...........................................................................................................18 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................18 Streetcar/Vehicle Crashes Analysis.........................................................................................................18 Spatial Analysis....................................................................................................................................19 Temporal Analysis...............................................................................................................................23 Vehicle Closure Simulation & Level of Service Calculations ...................................................................25 Observations of Traffic Flow during Track Repairs .................................................................................27 iv Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................27 Chapter 5: Conclusion & Policy Implications......................................................................................29 Current State of St. Charles Streetcar Line .............................................................................................29 Closure of Vehicle Crossings ...................................................................................................................29 Policy Implications ..................................................................................................................................30 Future Research......................................................................................................................................31 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................32 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................33 Appendix .........................................................................................................................................36 Streetcar/Vehicle Crash Data - 2011.......................................................................................................36 TransCAD Model Intersection Turning Movements ...............................................................................38 Level of Service Calculations...................................................................................................................49 Vita .................................................................................................................................................84 v List of Figures Figure 1: St. Charles Streetcar in shared and dedicated right-of-way. (Source: Vivek Shah, 2012) .............1 Figure 2: St. Charles streetcar line, study area in red...................................................................................2 Figure 3: Streetcar crossing warning sign on St. Charles Ave (Source: Vivek Shah, 2012) ...........................6 Figure 4: Pleasant St. Station, Green Line, Boston (triposo.com).................................................................7 Figure 5: LACMTA Expo Line operating in median (Are You Ready to Expo?!, 2012)...................................8 Figure 6: Baltimore