Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices. Topic SA-51. Transit Safety Risk Assessment Methodologies

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published a final rule for Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans under 49 CFR 673. This final rule requires States and certain operators of public transportation systems that receive Federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53 to develop Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans based on the Safety Management System approach. Operators of public transportation systems will be required to implement the safety plans. The development and implementation of safety plans will help ensure that public transportation systems are safe nationwide. The adoption of a Safety Management Systems (SMS) foundational approach across all new safety rules, regulations and accompanying technical guidance documents calls for a need to research current and new innovative state-of-the-practice methodologies for developing robust and consistent safety risk assessment methodologies for improving transit industry safety ( See 49 CFR 673). While the industry has relied on the Military Standard 882 frequency versus severity risk matrix approach, there are others methodologies - such as exposure rate models and the European-based Common Safety Method - that warrant consideration. This synthesis will identify what safety risk assessment methodologies and/or approaches US transit (bus and/or rail) systems are using for safety risk assessment methodologies. Information to be gathered will include: (1) US transit system safety risk assessment methodologies and approaches; (2) Other US transportation modes safety risk assessment methodologies (outside transit); (3) International samples of transit and rail with performance based safety risk assessment methodologies; (4) Applicability and scalability; and (5) Implementation costs. Information will be gathered by: (1) a literature review (e.g. agency reports, peer reviewed journal articles, web articles); (2) a survey on a broad range of North American transit agencies (diverse in terms of geography, socioeconomics, size, and all types of vehicles in transit revenue service); and, (3) case examples (shall include an international, and a bus only) that will gather information on the practices, challenges and successes. Case studies would be used to present the applicability and effectiveness of the methodologies. Case studies will be presented in a consistent analytical framework. The needs for future research should also be discussed.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5007

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $45000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project J-07, Topic SA-51

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Garcia-Colberg, Mariela

• Performing Organizations:

  Texas Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
• Principal Investigators:

  Hudson, Joan

• Start Date: 20200916
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Literature reviews; Methodology; Public transit; Risk assessment; Safety management; Transit safety
• Identifier Terms: Safety Management Systems
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01739769
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project J-07, Topic SA-51
• Files: TRB, RiP
• Created Date: May 25 2020 3:04PM