Date of Award
5-2009
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Legacy Department
Civil Engineering
Committee Chair/Advisor
Ogle, Jennifer H
Committee Member
Sarasua , Wayne A
Committee Member
Chowdhury , Mashrur R
Abstract
The primary goal of this study is to investigate pedestrian and bicycle safety qualitatively and quantitatively on the campus of Clemson University and to provide recommendations for safety improvement based on these analyses. Because of heavy pedestrian and bicycle volumes, the well-being of these users is critical to the overall safety culture of a university. The analysis of crashes, pedestrian-vehicle conflict data, vehicular speeds and volumes, and crosswalk facility characteristics on Clemson's campus enabled the development of a prioritization scheme for the selection of pedestrian crossing sites for design improvement. These data components were utilized in verifying the validity of current pedestrian safety rating models developed in urban/suburban contexts, the Pedestrian Intersection Safety Index and the Midblock Level of Service, and their applicability to rural college campus settings.
The findings of the research study provided the impetus for the development of a conflict prediction model for campus applications using data from 69 of Clemson's crossing locations. Indicative variables included in the conflict prediction model included type of crossing (stop controlled marked, signal controlled marked, midblock marked, uncontrolled marked, and unmarked), crossing width, marking type (brick, ladder, zebra, parallel line), 85th percentile vehicle speed, pedestrian volume, conflicting vehicle volume, and on-street parking presence. The benefits of this method are twofold: the model can be used as a prioritization tool while deciding areas on campus to improve, and the model can also be used to measure the potential benefits of implementing countermeasures by quantifying potential pedestrian-vehicle conflict reductions.
Recommended Citation
Dobbs, Gabe, "PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE SAFETY ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS: CRASH AND CONFLICT ANALYSES WITH RECOMMENDED DESIGN ALTERNATIVES FOR CLEMSON UNIVERSITY" (2009). All Theses. 552.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/552