At the heart of active transportation systems are the people. This brief discusses the importance of considering perceptions in traffic safety analyses and discusses the potential for investigating how a psychological phenomenon known as pluralistic ignorance could be shaping those perceptions. A couple of case studies from the psychology literature are discussed to facilitate this discussion. It is hoped that this brief can be employed to learn more about how to improve the safety of using active modes both in California and across the nation.
Rethinking Traditional Outreach and Engagement Strategies
Recently, professionals and policymakers have considered an equity approach not only to reach and engage a diverse, representative group of community members, but to develop plans, projects, and policies that are inclusive of the community. In a new policy brief, "Engagement of Latine Communities in Transportation Safety," UC Berkeley SafeTREC's Policy & Program Analyst Ana I. Lopez, Co-Director Jill F. Cooper, and California Walks' Policy & Programs Coordinator Alma Leyva provide an overview of how engaging Latine...
Public participation in government is a foundation of democracy; however, it exists on a spectrum. In the field of transportation, decision-makers may seek information by simply making public announcements to invite input. Alternatively, governments devote resources to conduct thoughtful and extensive outreach to seek meaningful input. Recently, professionals and policymakers have considered an equity approach not only to reach and engage a diverse, representative group of community members, but to develop plans, projects, and policies that are...
The Community Pedestrian Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) program trains and mobilizes communities to address pedestrian and bicycle safety and strengthens collaboration with local officials and agency staff. This research brief summarizes an evaluation of the CPBST program completed in 2018. Read the full research brief.
The Community Pedestrian Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) program trains and mobilizes communities to address pedestrian and bicycle safety and strengthens collaboration with local officials and agency staff. This research brief summarizes an evaluation of the CPBST program completed in 2018.
Safety and women’s perceptions of safety is a prevalent factor affecting the gender gap of cycling within the US. In this study, the use of bike lanes in the South of Market Area of San Francisco found that only 29% of the cyclists were female despite accounting for 50% of the population in the area. This research brief summarizes key issues found in this study of women’s perceptions of safety when cycling.
Safety and women’s perceptions of safety is a prevalent factor affecting the gender gap of cycling within the US. In a recent study by UC Berkeley researchers, the use of bike lanes in the South of Market Area of San Francisco found that only 29% of the cyclists were female despite accounting for 50% of the population in the area. A new research brief by UC Berkeley SafeTREC's policy and program analyst Dorry Funaki summarizes key issues found in this study of women’s perceptions of safety when cycling. Read the...
Complete Streets is a transportation policy and design concept that promotes safe and convenient access to roadways for users of all transportation modes including walking, biking, driving motor vehicle, and riding public transportation. The Complete Streets concept is a shift from planning and designing streets with motor vehicles as the dominant mode. Complete Streets explicitly acknowledges the mobility and safety needs of all road users by all modes.
As cities around the country adopt initiatives like Vision Zero to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries, they are faced with the question of how effective different types of interventions are. For example, do protected bike lanes or painted sharrows reduce the risk of severe injury to cyclists? A group of researchers from the New York University School of Medicine examined this question by studying where cyclists admitted to the hospital crashed and how severe their injuries were. This research brief explores their findings.
In January 2017, over 13,000 transportation professionals gathered in Washington, DC, at the Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). In all, there were over 5,000 research presentations, 600 of which were about transportation safety. In this brief, we highlight some of the newest practice-ready pedestrian and bicycle safety research to come out of the conference.