Phase One – Development of Map-Based Analysis Tool
Sponsor: City of Phoenix
PI: Brendan J Russo, Co-PI: Edward J Smaglik
Start Date: August 2019
Pedestrian safety is a noteworthy public health issue in the City of Phoenix, as well as for the state of Arizona and the United States as a whole. This issue is of particular concern in recent years in Phoenix and Arizona, as the number of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes has continually increased year to year. In fact, a recent report by the Governors Highway Safety Association analyzing preliminary data for 2017 found that Arizona had the highest pedestrian fatality rate in the country, and Maricopa County had the second-highest number of pedestrian fatalities in the country, only behind Los Angeles County in California. In order to reduce pedestrian crashes and resultant injuries and fatalities in Phoenix, it’s critical to gain a deeper understanding of why, where, when, and how these crashes are occurring. To address this issue, researchers at AZTrans will complete the following objectives for this project:
- Integrate multiple data sources not commonly used in traffic safety analyses to gain new insights into the pedestrian safety problem in Phoenix which can assist in identifying locations and selecting the most appropriate countermeasures
- Develop statistical models to explore quantitatively which factors are associated with the frequency and/or severity of pedestrian crashes in Phoenix
- Develop a map-based tool which can be used to plan and supplement pedestrian safety improvement efforts
- Provide a summary of potential countermeasures to consider (along with locations) based on the results of the previously mentioned analyses.