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Description
This research examines the effectiveness of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) infrastructure investments in improving the safety of school-age children as they walk to school. The research evaluates whether schools with SRTS investments show lower rates of unsafe pedestrian behaviors than schools without SRTS investments. The research utilizes a quasi-experimental research design and establishes a set of test intersections where investments have been made, and a set of similar control intersections, but where no investments have been made. Pedestrian behaviors were observed and recorded during school dismissal periods and utilized as the primary measure of pedestrian safety in both the test and control areas. Observations were made at a total of 4 SRTS and 4 Non-SRTS intersections. An observation tool was developed for collecting detailed pedestrian behaviors, allowing for the development of a profile of activity at both test and control intersections. The recorded observations included a total of 2,811 pedestrians at signalized crosswalk intersections. For the purposes of this research, safe pedestrian behaviors included pedestrians crossing on green, crossing while light turns red, and looking both ways before entering a crosswalk. Unsafe pedestrian behaviors included pedestrians jaywalking against a red light, entering a crosswalk without looking, running or hurrying to avoid cars, and entering a crosswalk on a flashing hand. A total of 7 pedestrian behaviors were studied. Two unsafe pedestrian behaviors were shown to occur less frequently at schools with SRTS improvements versus schools without such improvements. Those 2 unsafe pedestrian behaviors were "jaywalking against the red light" and "running or hurrying to avoid cars." Results as a whole do not conclusively indicate a significant lower rate of unsafe pedestrian behaviors in SRTS sites.
