Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings (HRGCs)

Train crashes involving non-motorized pedestrians and bicyclists often receive little attention; nevertheless, they contribute significantly to the overall fatalities and injuries in incidents connected to railways. According to preliminary Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) statistics, 1,197 pedestrian-rail trespass casualties (fatalities and injuries) were recorded in 2022. Currently, there is a lack of exposure data on pedestrians and bicyclists at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings (HRGCs), which prevents us from understanding the factors associated with high or low exposure of pedestrians and bicyclists at HRGCs. These exposure data are crucial because incorporating pedestrian and bicyclist related dynamic components into predictive modeling can enhance the precision of HRGCs crash frequency and severity prediction models. Ultimately, this improvement can lead to better decision-making on resource allocation and safety of HRGCs. This study aims to develop a methodology for collecting pedestrian and bicyclist exposure data at urban and suburban HRGCs using video-based data collection devices to capture pedestrian and bicyclist volumes. Based on this data, the research team aims to create volume-prediction models that can predict pedestrian and bicyclist crash exposure at HRGCs.

• Record URL:
  https://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/_files/documents/research/exhibit-d_utcrs_unl_pedestrian_and_bicycle_safety_at_hrgcs_2023.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Partners for this project are the University of California Riverside (UCR), the University of South Carolina (UofSC), and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $225000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348340

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  1400 R Street
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68588
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  1400 R Street
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68588
• Project Managers:

  Stearns, Amy

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  1400 R Street
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68588
• Principal Investigators:

  Khattak, Aemal

  Aman, M

  Farooq, M

• Start Date: 20230601
• Expected Completion Date: 20240831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cyclists; Data collection; Pedestrian safety; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad safety; Traffic volume
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01898076
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University Transportation Center for Railway Safety
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348340
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 31 2023 7:35PM