A Built Environment for an Ageing Society: A Subpopulation Analysis of Pedestrian Crashes at Signalized Intersections in Montreal, Canada

Concern for pedestrian safety has grown recently because of ageing population not only in North America but globally. Meanwhile the overrepresentation of older adults in fatal pedestrian crashes has been a longstanding problem. As sustainable transport policy becomes prevalent, planners and practitioners will have the opportunity to introduce countermeasures to better meet senior pedestrian needs. In this paper the authors focus on the built environment because this variable category translates into more accessible countermeasures. However, a gap in the literature makes it difficult for planners and practitioners to choose these. Past empirical studies suggest there is an observed risk increase for older adult pedestrians due to their slower walking speed, while crash history studies have yet to provide evidence for this. This gap in the literature begs the question: if there is a link between slower walking seniors and crash incidence. Two models were specified according to younger and older pedestrians involved in crashes that occurred at 191 signalized intersections in Montreal, Canada. The authors sought to determine if older adult pedestrian crash incidence was explained by different characteristics compared to the younger. Results not only showed that older pedestrians were more vulnerable and influenced by some different risk factors than the younger, but that they may be more responsive to some potential countermeasures.

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANF10 Pedestrians.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Auger, Jonathan
  • Cloutier, Marie-Soleil
  • Morency, Patrick
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
• Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 22p
• Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Built environment; Crash risk forecasting; Mathematical models; Medians; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Signalized intersections; Urban design; Vulnerable road users
• Geographic Terms: Montreal (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I80: Accident Studies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01555124
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-4619
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 26 2015 10:03AM