Richmond Sarah A, Rothman Linda, Buliung Ron, Schwartz Naomi, Larsen Kristian, Howard Andrew
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Accid Anal Prev. 2014 Oct;71:222-7. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2014.05.022. Epub 2014 Jun 18.
The frequency of pedestrian collisions is strongly influenced by the built environment, including road width, street connectivity and public transit design. In 2010, 2159 pedestrian collisions were reported in the City of Toronto, Canada with 20 fatalities. Previous studies have reported that streetcars operating in mixed traffic pose safety risks to pedestrians; however, few studies evaluate the effects on pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions (PMVC). The objective of this study was to examine changes in the rate and spatial patterning of PMVC, pre to post right-of-way (ROW) installation of the St. Clair Avenue West streetcar in the City of Toronto, Canada.
A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate changes in PMVC rate, following implementation of a streetcar ROW. Collision data were extracted from all police-reported PMVC, complied and verified by the City of Toronto, from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2011. A zero-inflated Poisson regression analysis estimated the change in PMVC, pre to post ROW. Age and injury severity were also examined. Changes in the spatial pattern of collisions were examined by applying the G function to describe the proportion of collision events that shared a nearest neighbor distance less than or equal to a threshold distance.
A total of 23,607 PMVC occurred on roadways during the study period; 441 occurring on St. Clair Ave, 153 during the period of analysis. There was a 48% decrease in the rate of collisions on St. Clair [Incidence rate ratio (IRR)=0.52, 95% CI: 0.37-0.74], post ROW installation. There were also decreases noted for children (IRR=0.13, 95% CI: 0.04-0.44), adults (IRR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.38-0.97), and minor injuries (IRR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.40-0.80). Spatial analyses indicated increased dispersion of collision events across each redeveloped route segment following the changes in ROW design.
CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Construction of a raised ROW operating on St. Clair Ave. was associated with a reduction in the rate of collisions. Differences in pre- and post collision spatial structure indicated changes in collision locations. Results from this study suggest that a streetcar ROW may be a safer alternative for pedestrians compared to a mixed traffic streetcar route and should be considered by city planners where appropriate to the street environment.
行人碰撞事故的发生频率受到建成环境的强烈影响，包括道路宽度、街道连通性和公共交通设计。2010年，加拿大多伦多市报告了2159起行人碰撞事故，其中20人死亡。此前的研究报告称，在混合交通中运行的有轨电车对行人构成安全风险；然而，很少有研究评估其对行人与机动车碰撞事故（PMVC）的影响。本研究的目的是调查加拿大安大略省多伦多市圣克莱尔西大街有轨电车专用道（ROW）安装前后，PMVC发生率和空间模式的变化。
采用准实验设计来评估有轨电车专用道实施后PMVC发生率的变化。碰撞数据提取自多伦多市整理并核实的所有警方报告的PMVC，时间跨度为2000年1月1日至2011年12月31日。零膨胀泊松回归分析估计了ROW安装前后PMVC的变化。同时还研究了年龄和损伤严重程度。通过应用G函数来描述共享最近邻距离小于或等于阈值距离的碰撞事件比例，从而研究碰撞空间模式的变化。
在研究期间，道路上共发生了23607起PMVC；其中441起发生在圣克莱尔大道，分析期间有153起。ROW安装后，圣克莱尔大道上的碰撞率下降了48%[发病率比值（IRR）=0.52，95%置信区间：0.37 - 0.74]。儿童（IRR = 0.13，95%置信区间：0.04 - 0.44）、成人（IRR = 0.61，95%置信区间：0.38 - 0.97）和轻伤（IRR = 0.56，95%置信区间：0.40 - 0.80）的碰撞率也有所下降。空间分析表明，随着ROW设计的变化，各重建路段的碰撞事件分散度增加。
结论/启示：在圣克莱尔大道上建造高架ROW与碰撞率的降低有关。碰撞前后空间结构的差异表明碰撞地点发生了变化。本研究结果表明，与混合交通有轨电车线路相比，有轨电车专用道对行人可能是更安全的选择，城市规划者在适合街道环境的地方应予以考虑。
