Identifying Research Priorities to Improve Safety for Pedestrians and Bicyclists Accessing Bus Stops

Details

• Creators:
  Rewalt, Allison ; Thomson, Amelia ; Brakewood, Candace ; Cherry, Christopher R.
• Corporate Creators:
  Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS) Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC) ; University of New Mexico
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Access Bus Stops Cyclists Data Analysis Fatalities Pedestrians Pedestrian Safety Transit Riders
• Publication/ Report Number:
  23UTK01
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Research Report (May 2025)
• Corporate Publisher:
  Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS) Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC)
• Abstract:
  Bus stops must be safely accessible to transit passengers who begin and end their trips as pedestrians. Prior studies have analyzed bus stop safety using crash data, but many assumed that all crashes near bus stops were directly related to the stop itself, largely due to the lack of transit-related information in crash data. This research analyzes pedestrian safety at bus stops using databases that explicitly report transit-related crashes. First, a detailed review of relevant datasets was conducted. Then, a nationwide analysis examined fatal “transit bus stop-related” pedestrian crashes from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and compared them with other nearby fatal pedestrian crashes using a binary logit model and hierarchical clustering. The logit model indicated that midblock stops, pedestrians on the roadside, and bus-involved crashes are strong indicators of transit bus stop-related crashes. The clustering revealed three transit bus stop-related crash scenarios: (1) crossing to/from intersection stop, (2) waiting roadside at midblock stop, and (3) crossing to/from midblock stop. The clustering of both transit bus stop-related and nearby crashes showed that scenario 2 clustered separately from nearby crashes, suggesting this scenario is specific to bus stops. Next, using street-level imagery, bus stop infrastructure near fatal bus stop-related crashes was assessed. The results revealed that conditions generally improved after the crash. Last, a state-level analysis was conducted using crash data from Minnesota because this dataset specifically identified crashes with a pedestrian “going to or from public transit”. From 2016-2023, there were 38 of these transit-related pedestrian crashes reported in Minnesota, which varied in severity and included one fatal crash. In summary, this report highlights the need for improved data collection to assess pedestrian safety throughout the entire trip to and from transit.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  69A3552348336
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8fd2c43cf39d4a04ee646bc4a2e1eb40b39bdf12e06220a82ed40228dc5d3435f97c7fc65daab2ad16d78aa00cd753b1dc6241e94847b7a2b084fe859f1e649c
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/86197/dot_86197_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 652.63 KB ]