Safety and Nonoptimal Usage of a Protected Intersection for Bicycling and Walking: A Before-and-After Case Study in Salt Lake City, Utah

Torrey Lyons, Dong-ah Choi, Keunhyun Park and S. Hassan Ameli
Additional contact information
Torrey Lyons: Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, New East Building, CB3140, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Dong-ah Choi: Department of City and Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah, 375 South 1530 East, Suite 220, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Keunhyun Park: Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Utah State University, 4005 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
S. Hassan Ameli: Department of City and Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah, 375 South 1530 East, Suite 220, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: This paper describes a before-and-after case study of a protected intersection in Salt Lake City, Utah. The intersection was completed in late 2015 and represented one of the first examples of a protected intersection design in North America. We analyzed bird’s-eye view video data that was recorded before the intersection was implemented and compared it against video data recorded from the exact same location after implementation. In order to examine changes in intersection usage and behavior, we operationalized safety in terms of the frequency of nonoptimal behaviors demonstrated by active transportation modes. We found that active transportation usage of the intersection has increased since the new configuration, with most of that growth attributable to e-scooter users. There was minimal change in the rates of nonoptimal behaviors by pedestrians. Bicyclists showed mostly decreased rates of nonoptimal behaviors, suggesting improved safety for this mode. E-scooter users, however, demonstrated nonoptimal behaviors at very high rates as compared with other active modes. This case study gives evidence that a protected intersection can have positive effects on active transportation volume and safety in a U.S. context.

Keywords: protected intersection; direct observation; quasi-experimental design; natural experiment; e-scooter; behavioral research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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