Journal article
Left-turning vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at signalized intersections with traffic lights: Benefit or harm? A two-stage study
Chinese journal of traumatology, Vol.22(2), pp.63-68
04/01/2019
DOI: 10.1016/j.cjtee.2018.07.007
PMCID: PMC6488518
PMID: 30962130
Abstract
Purpose: Vehicle-pedestrian conflicts are common at road intersections when traffic lights change. However, the impact of traffic light on transportation safety and efficiency remains poorly understood.
Methods: A two-stage study was used to survey the proportion of intersections with conflicting traffic lights and the related transportation efficiency and safety were evaluated as well. First, a cross-sectional study estimated the proportion of signalized intersections with conflicting left-turning vehicle-pedestrian traffic lights in Changsha city, China. Second, a natural experiment compared transportation efficiency and safety between intersections with and without conflicting left-turning vehicle-pedestrian traffic lights. Risky conflicts, where motor vehicles violated laws and failed to yield to pedestrians in crosswalk were used as a surrogate for transportation safety. The number of motor vehicles and pedestrians passing through the intersections per second and per meter were used to estimate transportation efficiency. Data were collected and analyzed in 2015 (from March to December). A search of online news from domestic media sources was also conducted to collect pedestrian injury data occurring at the intersections.
Results: About one-fourth (57/216) intersections had conflicting left-turning traffic lights (95% CI: 20.5%, 32.3%). Risky vehicle-pedestrian conflicts were more frequently observed at intersections with conflicting lights compared to those without (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 3.13; pedestrians: IRR = 4.02), after adjusting for type of day (weekday vs. weekend), the time period of observation, and motor vehicles traffic flow. Intersections without conflicting vehicle-pedestrian traffic lights had similar transportation efficiency to those with conflicting lights after controlling for covariates (p > 0.05). The systematic review of news media reports yielded 10 left-turning vehicle-pedestrian crash events between 2011 and 2017, involving 11 moderate or severe pedestrian injuries and 3 fatal pedestrian injuries.
Conclusion: Over one-fourth of road intersections in Changsha city, China have conflicting left-turning traffic lights. Conflicting traffic lights cannot improve transportation efficiency, but increase risky conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. (C) 2019 Chinese Medical Association. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Left-turning vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at signalized intersections with traffic lights: Benefit or harm? A two-stage study
- Creators
- Yi-Ling He - Sun Yat-sen UniversityRuo-Tong Li - Cent S Univ, Xiangya Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol & Hlth Stat, Changsha 410078, Hunan, Peoples R ChinaLi Li - Central South UniversityDavid C. Schwebel - University of Alabama at BirminghamHe-Lai Huang - Cent S Univ, Urban Transport Res Ctr, Sch Traff & Transportat Engn, Changsha 410075, Hunan, Peoples R ChinaQing-Yi Yin - Cent S Univ, Urban Transport Res Ctr, Sch Traff & Transportat Engn, Changsha 410075, Hunan, Peoples R ChinaGuo-Qing Hu - Cent S Univ, Xiangya Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol & Hlth Stat, Changsha 410078, Hunan, Peoples R China
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Chinese journal of traumatology, Vol.22(2), pp.63-68
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.cjtee.2018.07.007
- PMID
- 30962130
- PMCID
- PMC6488518
- NLM abbreviation
- Chin J Traumatol
- ISSN
- 1008-1275
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 6
- Grant note
- 81573260 / Natural Science Foundation of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/01/2019
- Academic Unit
- Research Administration
- Record Identifier
- 9984949476102771
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