Nicolae Duduta: Saving Lives with Sustainable Transport

Saving Lives with Sustainable Transport!

!   Nicolae Duduta, Associate Transport Planner, EMBARQ, World Resources Institute!

!   December 5, 2013 — Washington, DC!

Calz. Independencia, Guadalajara, Mexico - 2009

What are the safety impacts of reducing car traffic and promoting transit, walking,

and cycling?!

How do we better integrate safety into transportation planning?!

Main questions!

!   Different approaches to traffic safety!

!   Motivation for the report!•  Example: Rio de Janeiro — The place of safety in transport

planning!

!   Report findings!•  Evidence of the safety impact of sustainable transport!

!   Outcomes!•  Example: Mexico City — integrating safety into transport

planning!

Agenda!

!   Pre-crash | Crash | Post-crash!

!   The three E’s: !•  Engineering!•  Enforcement!•  Education!

!   EMBARQ: Safety should be an integral part of all stages of urban transportation planning!

Approaches to traffic safety!

!   Traffic Safety and Sustainable Transport!

!   Road Safety Community à WHO, UNRSC!•  Decade of Action on Road Safety!•  Global Status Report on Road Safety!

!   Transport planning!•  Planning and engineering professionals!•  Local decision makers!

Approaches to traffic safety!

!   300 ft (100m) wide! ! ! ! !!!   50mph (80km) speed limit!!   1,800ft (600m) blocks ! ! !!

The place of safety in transport planning

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo by EMBARQ.

Sidewalk provision is at the discretion of property owners along the street. Streets often lack sidewalks.

From the time of pressing the button, until finishing the crossing:

8 min, 14 s

Pedestrians almost always cross on red

Safety impact:!!   Reductions in traffic (congestion charging)!!   Improvements to cycling and pedestrian

infrastructure!!   Investment in high quality mass transport!

Report Overview!

!   There is a strong correlation between VKT and safety!!   Policies that reduce VKT have been shown to also have a

positive safety impact!

Vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT)!

Traffic volumes and traffic safety!

Source:  FHWA  Highway  Sta4s4cs,  2008  

U.S. states

R² = 0.69

-

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

10 20 30 40 50

Tra

ffic

fata

litie

s p

er 1

00,0

00 p

eo

ple

(

urb

an

roa

ds)

Daily VMT per person (urban roads)

VKT and fatality trends over time!

0

50

100

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200

250

300

350

400

450

VKT indicator Fatalities indicator

VKT indicator

Fatalities indicator

Relationship between VKT and traffic fatalities in Denmark, 1950-2010.

Source: Transport for London (TfL)!

!   London introduced a charge for driving a car inside a specific area within the downtown!

!  15% reduction in injury accidents compared to citywide trends in London!

Congestion Charging!

Cycling and safety!

!   In several cities around the world, increases in cycling were associated with reductions in the cycling injury rate!

!   Examples from Copenhagen, New York, Minneapolis!

Cycling and safety!

0  

50  

100  

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200  

250  

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400  

0  

1000  

2000  

3000  

4000  

5000  

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7000  

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9000  

1993   1994   1995   1996   1997   1998   1999   2000   2001   2002   2003   2004   2005   2006   2007   2008   2009   2010  

Bicycle  crashe

s  

Biicycle  com

muters  

Bicycle  commuters  

Bicycle  crashes  

!   Bicycle commuters and bicycle crashes, Minneapolis!

Mass transport and traffic safety!

!   In the developed world, mass transport is the safest urban transport mode!

!   In the developing world, well designed, high-quality mass transport systems have had significant safety benefits!

!   Calz. Independencia, Guadalajara, Mexico - 2007!

Mass transport!

!   Calz. Independencia, Guadalajara, Mexico - 2009!

Mass transport!Reduction in the number of lanes

Shorter pedestrian crossings

Central median

Existing buses and minibuses replaced with a single operating agency

Evidence of safety impact from: !!   Reductions in car traffic (e.g. congestion charging)!!   Improvements in cycling infrastructure and increases in

cycling volumes!!   High quality mass transport systems (including evidence

from the developing world)!

!   Reductions in exposure, improvements in infrastructure!

Conclusions!

Counterflow – Mexico City!

!   Eje 3 Oriente, Mexico City, July 2011!

!   Road safety audits: three between 2010-2013 recommended removal of counterflow!

!   Safety impact of counterflow: +75% all crashes, +125% injury crashes!

!   Design recommendations, workshops with city and transit agency!

Counterflow – Mexico City!

Counterflow – Mexico City!

!   Eje 3 Oriente, Mexico City, July 2011 - October 2013!

Thank you!

!   Nicolae Duduta, Associate Transport Planner, EMBARQ, World Resources Institute!

!   nduduta@wri.org!

This presentation will be made available on Slideshare at slideshare.net/EMBARQNetwork!

Connect with EMBARQ!Twitter: @EMBARQNetwork!Facebook: EMBARQNetwork!