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Globally, the increase in pedestrian fatalities due to road traffic crashes (RTCs) on transport networks has been a major concern. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), pedestrians face a high risk due to RTCs on the rural highway network. The safety evaluation methods, such as observational before-after, empirical Bayes, full Bayes, and cross-sectional methods have been used to identify risk factors of RTCs. However, these methods are data-intensive and have associated limitations. Thus, this study employed a matched case--control method to identify the risk factors of fatal pedestrian crashes. This study utilized crash, traffic volume, speed, geometric, and roadside environment data of a 175 km six-lane rural highway in India. The identified major risk factors, such as clear zone width, the presence of habitation, service roads, and horizontal curve sections, increase the likelihood of a fatal pedestrian crash. This study provides specific insights for modifying the speed limit of highway sections passing through habitation. On such highway sections, designers should shift focus to pedestrian safety. It also suggests that the service road design needs to be reconsidered from a pedestrian safety viewpoint. The proposed method can be used in any other setting having similar traffic and socio-economic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the safety effect of the paved shoulder width of a 175-km six-lane rural highway in India. First, the applicability of the matched case-control (C-C) method in the case of highway segments with multiple crashes was assessed. Second, the safety effectiveness of the paved shoulder and other risk factors were evaluated using the matched C-C method. Three scenarios with different case definitions were developed using the matched C-C method and ordinal logistic regression. The study used 100-m segment-specific speed, volume, geometrics, roadside characteristics, and fatal crash data between 2016 and 2018. Developed scenario results suggested that the matched C-C method can assess crash risks on segments with multiple crashes by defining cases separately or considering the number of crashes as an ordinal variable. Results also suggested that the probability of observing crashes increases as paved shoulder width increases. However, the probability of observing multiple fatal crashes decreases for wide paved shoulder width increases. The safety effectiveness of paved shoulder width assessment showed that a wide paved shoulder had a higher risk of a fatal crash than a paved shoulder width of 1.0 to 1.5 m. The segments with unpaved shoulders were unsafe compared to segments without them. These results can be used to prepare guidelines by road-owning and construction agencies to adopt safe paved shoulder widths for six-lane and multilane highways in India. Results may also support the development of a new highway design policy concerning preferable safe paved shoulder width for multilane greenfield highways in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for targeted interventions to address the risk faced by children and young adults in low and middle-income countries in order to meet the global target of reducing road traffic fatalities by 50% by 2030. Road traffic crashes are currently the leading cause of death for children and youth aged 5-29 years, and two-thirds of deaths occur among people of working age. The article highlights the differences in road use and risk-taking behavior among young children and young adults compared to the rest of the population. It also presents the results of several studies focusing on young adults' behavior in traffic in low and middle-income country settings, including the effects of intervention programs, cell phone distraction behavior, delivery rider severities, risk factors for commercial motorcycle delivery drivers, factors affecting driver injury severity in speed-related crashes, and factors influencing road accidents in low and middle-income countries. The article emphasizes the need for more rigorous and high-quality research in this area, as well as interdisciplinary research and collaborations to generate evidence-based interventions. [Extracted from the article]

This study aimed to identify the segment-specific risk factors for rear-end crashes on an expressway in India. The fatal crash data were analyzed from August 2012 to October 2018 with road geometry details, speed, volume, and roadside data. Negative binomial (NB) models with a random parameter framework accounted for the unobserved heterogeneity across the segments. A NB model with fixed parameters (FPNB) was used as a base model against basic random parameter NB (RPNB) and correlated random parameter NB (CRPNB) models. The results indicated that rear-end crashes comprised 49% of the total fatal crashes. Truck and car occupants constituted the highest share of victims in rear-end crashes. As per the estimate of log-likelihood for the developed models, CRPNB was best. The results of the RPNB model suggested that speed, Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), horizontal alignment radius, and vertical curve length were the significant variables. In the case of the CRPNB model, speed, AADT, and vertical curve length were the significant variables. Segments where a village was present along the expressway were comparatively safer. Segments where entry and exit ramps and underpasses were present and segments with hazards had higher chances of being associated with rear-end crashes. The study's findings provide valuable insights into proposing interventions for reducing rear-end crashes on expressways in heterogeneous traffic conditions. Detailed investigations with additional data are required at segments with entry-exit ramps and horizontal and vertical curves. To sum up, the findings of this study may assist highway agencies and design engineers in designing new or evaluating existing expressways from a safety viewpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fifth Global Status report on Road Safety, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that road traffic deaths have slightly decreased to 1.19 million per year. However, important trends remain, such as road traffic injuries (RTIs) being the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years, the majority of fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries, and over half of all road traffic deaths affecting vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. While some countries have met the target of reducing fatalities by 50%, many African and Southeast Asian countries have reported an increase in fatalities. The journal issue includes research articles from Asian and African countries covering various topics related to traffic injuries, work-related injuries, media coverage of motor vehicle crashes, and risk reduction. The articles highlight the need for research and interventions to address the specific risks faced by these regions. [Extracted from the article]

Pedestrians continue to face high risk of getting involved in fatal and serious injury crashes all over the world. In many high-income countries, pedestrian involvement in fatal crashes occur mostly in urban areas. However, in many low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa, pedestrian involvement in fatal crashes occur on intercity highways too. This research analyses fatal pedestrian crash characteristics, and identifies probable contributory factors to pedestrian involvement in fatal crashes using logistic regression for two-, four-, and six-lane National Highways. The fatal pedestrian crash density is found to be the highest at 1.37 crashes/km/year on six-lane divided NH-1. The binary logistic regression estimation results for pedestrian involvement in the fatal crash model revealed that the predictors: "number of lanes" and "time of crash" are found to be significant at 95% level. The model results for the variable "number of lanes" highlights the need to study pedestrian crossing behaviour on highways in detail. The design standards for pedestrian crossing facilities in urban areas may not be suitable for National Highways in particular multi-lane highways. In-depth research is required to understand the suitability of various traffic calming measures and other possible interventions which can ensure pedestrian safety on highways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for a systems-thinking-based approach to road safety research. While progress has been made in reducing road fatalities and injuries, there are still unacceptable levels of road trauma. The article presents various studies from different parts of the world that examine road user risk behavior, infrastructure design, organizational regulations, and other factors that contribute to road safety. The authors emphasize the importance of addressing the systemic errors in the road safety system rather than focusing solely on individual errors. The article concludes by recommending a shift towards changing the systems, including infrastructure design, regulatory environment, and network design, to improve road safety. [Extracted from the article]

• The study investigates the Safety-in-Number (SiN) effect on the perceived safety of bicycle riders. • In general, riders prefer routes with more bicycle traffic, which validates SiN. • In the presence of dedicated bicycle infrastructure, more bicycle traffic acts as crowding and demotivates the riders. • Riders prefer routes with a low volume of motorized traffic. • Routes with dedicated bicycle infrastructure have higher preference over routes with no infrastructure. Safety-in-Numbers (SiN) implies that the risk of collision per road user is less when there are more road users. Although the available literature has confirmed the existence of SiN as an objective measure of safety, the effect on perceived safety, especially in the context of bicycle riders, has received much less attention. This study investigates the SiN effect on the perceived safety of bicycle riders that influences route choice behavior. A stated preference survey was performed in the South Delhi district of Delhi. The effect of attributes like posted speed limit, the volume of motorized traffic, bicycle infrastructure, and bicycle traffic/ crowding on route choice behavior was investigated. A binary logit model was developed to quantify the effect of these attributes on route choice. The results indicate that, in general, riders prefer routes with more bicycle traffic, hence validating SiN. But the effect does not always hold. For some riders, in the presence of dedicated bicycle infrastructure, when the perceived safety is higher, the presence of more bicycle traffic acts as crowding and demotivates riders to choose that route. The study also reveals that riders prefer routes with a low volume of motorized traffic and dedicated bicycle infrastructure. The outcomes suggest that a policy that encourages infrastructural development to provide lateral separation will encourage more people, hence increasing bicycle mode share as well as the perceived safety of riders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access terminology is evolving since its inception by Hansen in 1959. Accounting accessibility is central to multiple disciplines such as geography, transportation, health, economics, social sciences, etc. Developing indicators to measure access is a common practice and usually favor specific dimensions of access based on application. Although measuring accessibility and developing related indicators is a common practice, there are missing links in the indicator development, planning process, its implementation and related policy-making. Due to many available indicators, each differing in context, the practicality of implementation and their transferability is generally lost. Current work focuses on extracting commonalities between indicators and understanding how the contextual focus of indicators' have changed over time to measure access. Requirements for improved access related policies, developing realistic measures and future research directions based on gaps in the identified access measures are suggested. • The study brings out the deficits in access measures studied earlier. • The study identifies access measures applied in the Spatial, Health care, Response Services and Transportation systems. • The study highlights the changes in accessibility indicators contextually applied over time. • The specific targets of future research needs in the domain of accessibility measures have been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nevertheless, Dinesh highlighted that epidemiological evidence shows that occupants of these vehicles have lower injury rates per trip than cars despite these vehicles having no surrounding steel shell and a much lower weight (Mohan et al., [36]; Mohan & Bhalla, [27]). This work included, many of the themes we have discussed above, such as studies that questioned the role of motorization, urban design and trip modal shares (Mohan et al., [25]; Mohan & Bhalla, [27]; Mohan & O'Neil, [29]). Dinesh was taking pictures of Sikh children with burn injuries, who were playing in one of the relief camps. The main ideas were presented in a series of books and edited collections, with contributions from the leading figures in the field of injury prevention (Mohan & Berger, [26]; Barss et al., [2]; Mohan & Tiwari, [33]; Peden et al., [46]; Tiwari et al., [54]; Mohan, [23]; Tiwari & Mohan, [53]). [Extracted from the article]

Established theories have identified multiple sociopsychological variables that contribute to improving behavior predictions. Researchers have tested their application in explaining travel behavior. This study uses descriptive analysis of data collected on 27 variables of travel behavior. Of these, 21 were relatively new variables, including 16 sociopsychological and five qualitative instrumental variables. Six currently popular demographic and quantitative instrumental variables were also included. It uses interview-based survey data on work trips by users of two private and two public transport modes in Delhi, India. Responses from a total of 406 participants were used. A total of 13 variables show promise in explaining mode-choice behavior. These include four qualitative instrumental variables: "time," "cost," "comfort," and "safety"; six sociopsychological variables: "habit," "intention," "perceived behavior control," "positive symbolism," "negative symbolism," and "awareness norm"; and three sociodemographic variables: "education," "household income," and "household vehicle ownership." This makes a case for urban planners as well as transport planners and researchers to consider nontraditional variables for improving the accuracy of travel mode-choice models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assemble and present the status of the published information available regarding pedestrian safety near crosswalks and bus stops through a comprehensive search of various databases. It focuses on the influence of crossing environment and bus stops, underlining land-use components, crosswalk quality, traffic control, placement of facilities, and other aspects of pedestrian crossing safety. It also offers a detailed discussion of various study designs and statistical modeling techniques implemented in this context over the years, followed by the suggested interventions to improve safety at such high-risk locations. The existing literature elucidates that traffic management strategies and designs have often prioritized the movement of motorized vehicles, resulting in higher risk to pedestrians. This is especially true for low- and middle-income countries. Also, previous research is mostly aligned with offering solutions with limited reference to the reported crash data. Thus, a holistic approach is needed to identify the contributing factors associated with fatal crashes, assess the safety performance at such locations, and thereby offer sustainable planning and design for pedestrian facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study will estimate the impact of population size, population density, urbanization level and economy-related parameters on the proportion of trips with that have varied trip lengths for work purposes in India, which uses a fractional multinomial logit model. Data from 232 districts of India that have at least one city or town with a population >0.1 million will be used. The analysis shows the positive impact of the district's population size and economy on the proportion of trips longer than 5 km. In addition, there is a positive impact from the overall population density and a negative impact from urban density on the share of long-distance trips. This study shows that as districts in India continue to urbanize and develop economically, the propensity for traveling long distances will probably increase. This will result in an increased dependency on motorized modes of transport that negatively impacts the environment, resource consumption, and human health. This study identifies the need for the adoption of development control regulations and policies to maintain the proportion of long-distance trips at a low level as India continues to urbanize. The findings of this study could be useful to project externalities of the transport sector in future years when the urbanization pattern is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the pedestrian safety issue and the research that has followed to understand and solve the problem of pedestrian safety in the last 120 years - since the time of the first reported pedestrian fatality in 1899. Researches have studied the epidemiology of pedestrian crashes, pedestrian behaviour, pedestrian movements and pedestrian flows. The suggested strategies to reduce pedestrian crashes have ranged from controlling vehicular speeds to controlling pedestrian behaviour. This study presents a summary of the progress we have made in understanding pedestrian crash patterns. Pedestrian behaviour observed in different regions of the world tend to have similarity in pedestrian behaviour: gap acceptance, preferences of route choice and location for crossing roads. High income countries(HIC) have reported reduction in pedestrian fatalities as compared to low and middle income countries(LMICs), however pedestrian trips have also reduced in these countries leading to concerns about the effectiveness of 'known' strategies. Speed control through active measures have been found to have themaximal benefit and education and training programs for altering pedestrian behaviour on the road the least benefits. Low and middle income countries face pedestrian exposure on high speed roads. New research efforts are required to address pedestrian safety in both HIC and LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the effects of highway-related correlates such as geometric design features and traffic factors on fatal accident occurrences in small-sized Indian cities, Patiala and Rajpura, by estimating Negative Binomial regression models. Between 2013 and 2015, 61 and 188 fatal accidents were recorded in Rajpura and Patiala, respectively. The study reveals that the number of traffic lanes positively influences accident occurrences in Rajpura. On the other hand, in Patiala, the width of paved road surface, segment length and average daily traffic (ADT) are positively correlated with accident rates. Intercity highways passing through rural areas near the city boundary are more prone to fatal accidents than the highway segments within urban limits. Elasticity analysis suggests that an increase in paved road width and ADT by one percent would increase accident rates by 0.7% and 0.436% in Patiala and Rajpura, respectively. The findings of this research concur with the results of previous studies that infrastructural improvements such as increasing the number of lanes and paved road width are positively correlated with accident rates. It is expected that understanding the association between accident rates and non-behavioral factors would help transportation engineers identify the deficiencies in roadway designs in the study cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Time to hospital after a road traffic crash (RTC) plays a vital role in determining the outcome for crash victims. In Delhi, there are seven designated trauma centres where crash victims are typically taken, which may not be nearest hospital. We compare the transport time access (crash to hospital) depending on whether the victim is transported to a designated trauma centre or the nearest hospital. Data and methods: For each RTC geocoded manually from police records, the nearest hospital and the designated trauma centre is identified using Google Maps places nearby Search API and guidelines. Travel time matrix is generated between RTC's and identified hospitals using Google maps distance matrix API. Index accounting inter-district differences is developed. Results and conclusions: The network of designated trauma centres in New Delhi is located such that they can be accessed within 45 min of most crashes while nearest hospital within 30 min. As a result, the vast majority of crash victims are likely to receive timely care if they are rapidly transferred to either of these caregivers. However, for the most severely injured and time-sensitive cases, bypassing nearest hospital for trauma care, could substantially improve survival outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farouzan Rezapur-Shahkolai I et al. i , from Iran present a systematic review of interventions aimed at preventing road traffic injuries among pedestrians. Philip Kofi Alimo I et al. i , from China, Kenya and Ghana have collaborated to address the alarming road traffic injuries in Africa. The report highlighted the increasing burden of road traffic injuries in low and middle income countries where the majority of the road traffic injuries are borne by pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. [Extracted from the article]

Highlights • A generalised methodology for urban freight vehicles emission inventory. • Delhi has been selected as the case study city for freight vehicle emission inventory. • Comparisons survival rates urban vs. national freight operations. • Emission scenarios for existing and future policy interventions in the city of Delhi. Abstract Vehicle emission inventory forms a critical element for the air pollution studies. The methodology for capturing intercity freight fleet operations is already available. However, urban freight activity and characteristics may be quite different from intercity freight operations. The present study thus aims to provide a generalised methodology to capture urban freight operations data relevant to emission estimates. Delhi has been selected as the case study city to illustrate the application of the proposed methodology. In order to quantify freight fleet emissions, relevant freight fleet characteristics such as age distribution, fuel distribution, fuel economy, and the number of in-use freight vehicles are established through on-field surveys. Further, special attention is paid to quantify the contribution of previously neglected external freight trips entering Delhi to the city's air pollution. Comprehensive disaggregated analysis for external freight trips terminating in Delhi and transiting through Delhi is presented. 72-hour traffic count and a 24-hour origin and destination surveys are conducted at 17 entry locations of Delhi. Based on the captured characteristics, different emission scenarios are estimated for future policy intervention in the city. The developed methodology will serve as a means of generating emission relevant freight data for various urban areas. Integration of the urban and non-urban freight characteristics is expected to offer a robust and reliable national road freight transport emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses fatal crash patterns, and identifies the risk factors contributing to motorcycle versus non-motorcycle fatal crashes using binomial logistic regression on two-, four- and six-lane National Highways (NHs) in India utilizing police fatal crash data. The distribution of victims' mode by striking vehicles shows that percentage share of striking vehicles (truck) against the victims' vehicles (motorcycle) is 44%, 52% and 37% on two-lane NH-8, four-lane NH-24 and six-lane NH-1, respectively. Nine explanatory variables pertaining to fatal crash, victim, roadway and environment are considered for the model (using combined data of cited three NHs). The results of the logistic regression model (motorcycle versus non-motorcycle fatal crashes) show that for variable 'collision type', likelihood of occurrence of 'rear-end', 'sideswipe' and 'head-on' fatal crashes are 42-times, 35-times and 25-times more than 'hit pedestrian' respectively. Similarly, for variable 'number of vehicle', likelihood is thrice as 'single-vehicle' than 'two or more vehicles'; and, for variable 'number of lane', probability is more on 'two-lane' NH-8 than 'four-lane' NH-24. Based on the study results, it is recommended to upgrade two-lane (undivided carriageway) to four-lane (divided carriageway) NHs to reduce 'head-on' collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renteng Yuan, I et al i , from China have studied the injury severity analysis of two vehicle crashes at un-signalized intersections using mixed logit models. Paul Okyere, I et al i , from Ghana and the USA have made a presentation on seat-belt use by inter-city bus passengers in Ghana. We have been publishing a large number of papers on pedestrians, motorised two wheelers and occasionally on bicyclists together known as the vulnerable road users. [Extracted from the article]

Various indicators of sustainable mobility have been developed. It is difficult to select the most relevant indicators that are useful in a specific context, and that are measurable and achievable at the same time. Indicator selection frameworks – criteria based; causal chains and causal networks have been proposed and used in the past. All three frameworks have certain limitations and strengths. In this study we have proposed a systematic approach of selecting sustainable mobility indicators for Indian cities by combining – criteria based, causal chain and causal network frameworks. The methodology involves both subjective judgments for evaluation of indicators against a set of criteria and objectivity during development and assessment of causal network. The method results in identifying 20 relevant factors for which 32 indicators are shortlisted. Further work is required to develop measurable indicators related to accessibility to the disadvantaged, speed limit restriction and street lighting. These have not been discussed in detail in the existing literature. The 20 factors are classified as root nodes, central and end-of-the-chain nodes that helps in identifying levers of attaining sustainable mobility in Indian cities. The developed causal network is evaluated for its ability to address all sectors associated with sustainable mobility. The causal network has low density and centralization index and therefore accounts for multiple factors. The shortlisted indicators are proposed for preparing low carbon mobility plan (LCMP) for three medium size Indian cities. The indicators are checked for data availability and ease of measurability based on the data collected for preparing the three LCMPs. The analysis shows that the data are available from secondary sources like census to measure root node indicators, whereas central indicators require conducting primary surveys and specific models are required to measure end-of-the-chain indicators. Based on the position of indicators within causal network, it is interpreted that pricing policy, urban form and infrastructure are the levers of sustainable mobility. The indicators of energy consumption, emissions and accessibility are the sustainable mobility targets that we want to achieve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wael K. M. Alhajyaseen, I et al. i from Qatar and Switzerland have made a submission on traffic safety during the Covid-19 pandemic and the public's perception of it. It has been a long haul through the COVID 19 pandemic. [Extracted from the article]

Spatially disaggregate models are required to account for non-motorized trips (walk and bicycle) as inter-zonal trips. However, models are developed at census defined ward level with inter-zonal distance being relatively more than the average walking and bicycling distance in cities. As a result, a large proportion of non-motorized transport (NMT) trips are counted as intra-zonal trips and therefore NMT trips are not included in mode choice and trip assignment steps. One of the major limitations in developing spatially disaggregate models is availability of data at finer scales. In Visakhapatnam 3062 enumeration blocks (EB) were demarcated for conducting census survey in 2011 that contain demographic data. Of these, spatial information is available for only 49% of the total EBs. This study aims to disaggregate city population at spatially finer level than wards so as to account for maximum NMT trips as inter-zonal trips. In the study, the spatially finer zones are termed as non-motorized traffic analysis zones (NMT-TAZ). For the city area with missing data, 634 NMT-TAZ boundaries are defined based on the Google Earth imageries (2010), road profile (2011), ward boundaries (2011) and natural boundaries. To disaggregate population, four methods are applied and tested on the available dataset – equal weighing technique, zonal classification based weighing technique, global regression and regional regression. Based on the residual statistics, it is concluded that regional regression method outperforms the other three methods at both NMT-TAZ and ward level. Regional regression provides more accurate estimates in high population density wards as compared to low population density wards. The model shows that local and collector road density, number of residential units and available built up area in NMT-TAZ have significant and positive impact on population count. The population at NMT-TAZ level for the city area with missing data is estimated using regional regression resulting in under prediction of total population of the region by 10% that is adjusted with respect to the error obtained at ward level. The use of small size NMT-TAZ helps in accounting for 83% of the total walk trips as inter-zonal trips as compared to only 17% when ward boundaries are used as TAZ. The method is useful in estimating population at spatially finer scale in case of limited data availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrian fatalities from 2001 to 2009 in Delhi, India show that pedestrians have the largest share in total road fatalities. Though, facilities like pedestrian underpasses and overpasses are provided to cross the road at several locations, all too often pedestrians do not use them. This study was designed to analyze the pedestrians’ perceptions for underutilization of pedestrian facilities. Five hundred pedestrians were interviewed at seven different locations based on available pedestrian facilities such as zebra crossing, pedestrian underpasses and overpasses. Analysis of usage of these facilities showed that usage of underpasses and zebra crossing is less by female respondents. To know the safety and convenience perception of pedestrians with respect to a specific facility, ordinal logit model was used in this study. Results showed that convenience perception is statistically significant (at 95% CI) for the use of zebra crossings. The conclusions drawn from this study can be used to improve the state of pedestrian facilities in Delhi for prioritization of the facilities based on stated preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic crash fatalities from 2006 to 09 in Delhi, India show that pedestrians have the largest share in total road fatalities. Perception of risk provides important information to identify potential crash risk. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to explore the pedestrian perception of risk in getting involved in a traffic crash in different locations and the role of built environment features in risk perception of pedestrians. Locations having a high number of pedestrian fatal crashes were identified using GIS map of Delhi. Pedestrian perceptions of risk at forty-five actual crash sites were collected through questionnaire survey. Risk perception of pedestrians of built environment features were analyzed based on pedestrian demographic characteristics. Ordered logit model was used to examine the influence of these variables on risk perception of respondent’s neighborhood and of the location where the survey was conducted. Seventy percent respondents perceive the neighborhoods where they reside having higher risk than the actual crash locations. Several factors such as gender, number of lanes, sidewalk width, sidewalk maintenance, traffic speed and traffic volume were significantly associated with perceived risk. Survey sites were further categorized into four groups i.e. foot of flyover, four-way junctions below flyover, midblocks and intersections to find the impact of characteristics of locations on pedestrians’ risk perception of different locations. Four-way junctions below flyover were found to have higher perceived risk compared to other locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyeonmyeong Jeon, et al., from the Republic of Korea have sent in an essay on the factors affecting injury severity and the number of vehicles involved in a freeway traffic accident. The present issue contains several submissions which attest to the fact of an increase in the number of fruitful collaborations between researchers in various countries. Zhipeng Peng, et al., from China have sent in a paper which discusses the factors influencing injury severity of crashes in both, the day time and the night time, on a mountainous expressway in China. [Extracted from the article]

Current modal share in Indian cities is in favor of non-motorized transport (NMT) and public transport (PT), however historical trends shows decline in its use. Existing NMT and PT infrastructure in Indian cities is of poor quality resulting in increasing risk from road traffic crashes to these users. It is therefore likely that the current NMT and PT users will shift to personal motorized vehicles (PMV) as and when they can afford it. Share of NMT and PT users can be retained and possibly increased if safe and convenient facilities for them are created. This shall also have impact on reducing environment impacts of transport system. We have studied travel behavior of three medium size cities – Udaipur, Rajkot and Vishakhapatnam. Later the impact of improving built environment and infrastructure on travel mode shares, fuel consumption, emission levels and traffic safety in Rajkot and Vishakhapatnam are analyzed. For the purpose three scenarios are developed – improving only NMT infrastructure, improving only bus infrastructure and improving both NMT and bus infrastructure. The study shows the strong role of NMT infrastructure in both cities despite geographical dissimilarities. The scenario analysis shows maximum reduction in CO 2 emissions is achieved when both PT and NMT infrastructure are improved. Improvement in safety indicator is highest in this scenario. Improving only PT infrastructure may have marginal effect on overall reduction of CO 2 emissions and adverse effects on traffic safety. NMT infrastructure is crucial for maintaining the travel mode shares in favor of PT and NMT in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various transportation studies carried out in India, while estimating the travel demand, do not take into consideration the travel characteristics of different income groups. The conventional transportation travel demand model lacks the ability to address the travel needs of the urban poor. This paper explores the factors influencing the travel destinations of urban poor living in informal settlements and finds that travel times have a significant negative impact on the choice to travel and influences the choice of the destinations. The study also finds that the inhabitants of informal settlements are adversely affected by urban policies that displace them and rehabilitate them far from their employment opportunities and that the travel characteristics of low income households living in informal settlements are significantly different from higher income households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrian safety is a serious concern in the developing nations of the world. It is evident from the past studies that built-environment characteristics near bus-stops, play a crucial role on the frequency and overall share of pedestrian deaths and injuries in road traffic crashes. The present study aims to identify critical built-environment features around vulnerable bus-stops in an Indian city and evaluate the odds of risk that prevails on the safety of pedestrians near bus stops. Hotspot analysis was conducted to finalise 177 bus stop sites within high-crash clusters in the study area. Built-environment attributes considered were based on sidewalk, crosswalk and bus stop conditions near such vulnerable locations. This study includes a video graphic and manual field survey conducted during the day and night-time. Logistic regression was applied to estimate the impact of built environment features on pedestrian crashes. Width and disability friendliness of sidewalks, presence of bus bays and on-street parking have significant impacts on pedestrian fatalities at locations with a higher share of pedestrian fatalities during the day. On the other hand, presence of zebra crossings at junctions, proper bus stop lighting and high sidewalks reduce the odds of pedestrian crashes at night near bus stops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitchel Chatukuta et al., from the UK, have made a presentation on the functioning of the motor vehicle accident fund (MVAF), a road tax levied in Namibia to help and support road traffic injury victims. The wealthy have insurance, but most people rely on the MVAF which is an efficient system effectively helping the road traffic crash victims. They maintain that post-crash trauma and emergency care of crash victims is very poor. [Extracted from the article]

Cycle rickshaw trolley (CRT) is a widely used non-motorised mode of intra-city freight transport in Delhi. While a number of studies are available for non-motorised passenger rickshaws, role of CRT in urban goods movement has not been studied adequately. This paper presents findings from a survey of 2000 CRT drivers in Delhi in 2011. The paper highlights the contribution of CRT in city goods movement, savings in fuel and emissions and benefits to CRT drivers. If CRT s are replaced by motorised vehicles, CO2 emissions from vehicular traffic will increase by over 3% and hydrocarbon emissions will increase by over 8% and six to seven hundred thousand people will have to find alternate employment. The findings have a direct impact on various urban freight policies and welfare policies for the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this unending season of the coronavirus pandemic, we recognise with appreciation the efforts put in by all the contributors to our journal, including those whose work did not manage to find inclusion in these pages. Mild and soft tissue injuries were more common in urban settings, while the more severe injuries were more likely to occur in the rural areas, which would point to these factors impinging on population density. The present essay posits a linkage between hospital discharge data and crash data, which leads one to believe that this database could be extended to include other databases for further investigations in the future. [Extracted from the article]

• The paved shoulder reduces the risk of fatal crashes. • The effect of paved shoulder width on the safety of VRUs, especially M2W users, has been assessed. • Paved shoulder improves the safety of M2W users and slow-moving vehicles on multilane highways. • The paved shoulder has limited safety benefits for rear-end only fatal crashes. • The matched case-control method is an effective viable safety evaluation method in limited crash data availability, as in LMICs. Research has revealed the safety benefits of shoulder improvements on highways are significant. The study aimed to assess the impact of paved shoulder width on the frequency of fatal crashes in case of heterogeneous traffic on a rural four-lane divided highway in India. A matched case-control design was employed to evaluate the safety effectiveness of the paved shoulder width on fatal crashes. The impact of shoulder widths on victims of motorized two-wheelers (MTW) users, slow-moving vehicles and rear-end fatal crashes were also analyzed. The study stretch was divided into segments of 100 m. Each segment was linked to the traffic volume, speed, geometric characteristics, and roadside hazards characteristics. Analysis of the crash data revealed that 39% of the total crashes are due to rear-end collisions, mostly occurring at nighttime. The model results are interpreted concerning segments with no shoulder as the baseline category. Model results suggest that paved shoulder has safety benefits for all road users up to 1.5 m shoulder width. The provision of paved shoulders reduced the risk of all fatal crashes and improved the safety of pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles. However, the safety of MTW users reduced on segments having paved shoulder width more than 2 m. Also, segments with a paved shoulder width of more than 1.5 m have a higher risk of rear-end fatal crashes than no shoulder segments. This study findings have a direct bearing on the geometric standards recommended by the road authorities in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We close our last editorial of 2020 with a reference to the major impediment imposed on our professional pursuits by the COVID-19 pandemic and how we appreciate the commitment of our contributors to their work. Earlier studies had suggested that the front passenger seat is the "death seat", but the authors of the present study found that the front passenger seat is associated with the lowest injury risk. The study makes an important recommendation of examining the characteristics of traffic accidents across different age groups and comparing the factors involved amongst age groups in future studies. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: Pedestrians on Delhi roads are often exposed to high risks. This is because the basic needs of pedestrians are not recognized as a part of the urban transport infrastructure improvement projects in Delhi. Rather, an ever increasing number of cars and motorized two-wheelers encourage the construction of large numbers of flyovers/grade separators to facilitate signal free movement for motorized vehicles, exposing pedestrians to greater risk. This paper describes the statistical analysis of pedestrian risk taking behavior while crossing the road, before and after the construction of a grade separator at an intersection of Delhi. A significant number of pedestrians are willing to take risks in both before and after situations. The results indicate that absence of signals make pedestrians behave independently, leading to increased variability in their risk taking behavior. Variability in the speeds of all categories of vehicles has increased after the construction of grade separators. After the construction of the grade separator, the waiting time of pedestrians at the starting point of crossing has increased and the correlation between waiting times and gaps accepted by pedestrians show that after certain time of waiting, pedestrians become impatient and accepts smaller gap size to cross the road. A Logistic regression model is fitted by assuming that the probability of road crossing by pedestrians depends on the gap size (in s) between pedestrian and conflicting vehicles, sex, age, type of pedestrians (single or in a group) and type of conflicting vehicles. The results of Logistic regression explained that before the construction of the grade separator the probability of road crossing by the pedestrian depends on only the gap size parameter; however after the construction of the grade separator, other parameters become significant in determining pedestrian risk taking behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Traditional focus of transportation planning has been to improve mobility of motorized vehicles measuring benefits as increased speed and saved travel time. Since 1950s, indicators are being developed to evaluate accessibility and safety of different types of road users like non-motorized transport (NMT) and public transport (PT) users. However, the application of the indicators is still limited to evaluate the impacts on one type of road user only. The paper proposes indicators to evaluate the impact of a transport project on all types of road users and on the society as a whole. Both conventional and proposed indicators are applied to evaluate the Delhi-BRT corridor stretch of 5.8km. The conventional approach showed reduced personal vehicular speed and delays at junctions. Whereas, the proposed indicators of accessibility measured number of relevant destinations that are within reach of different types of road users which were not within the reach before and the number and type of road users for whom the accessibility has increased. The safety indicators evaluated the change in interaction between different road users and safety of different types of road users. The indicators also evaluated the change in competitive position of different modes that may result in causing modal shift. The proposed indicators are suggested to be used along with the traditional indicators for complete evaluation of transport projects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper develops the model and methodology to estimate the marginal external cost of urban road transport, which is necessary for analysing optimal urban transport prices. Four major marginal external costs analysed in this paper include the marginal external costs for congestion, air pollution, road accidents and noise. The paper estimates the marginal external costs for cars and buses in peak and off-peak periods for Delhi urban agglomeration for the year 2005. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including a explorative study on the risk of commercial motorcycle accidents in Nigeria, the challenges on implementing road safety and the increase on use of motorcycles as transportation vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuity equation involving traffic flow expresses the relationship between density, flow, and speed. Density equals the flow divided by space mean speed. The formulation of this equation in the year 1952 has two important assumptions. One assumption is that spacing and speed are constant, i.e., uncongested conditions with moderate to slightly high volumes. The other assumption is that homogeneous traffic prevails, vehicle composition is uniform and vehicles behave within strict lane discipline rules. To determine if the continuity equation is valid under nonhomogeneous traffic conditions, one performs an experiment involving data collection of density, flow, and speed at three midblock sites in India. Data collection occurred when uncongested conditions prevailed with moderate to slightly high volumes. Comparing the average density derived from observed densities in the field to the density derived from the continuity equation reveals whether or not the continuity equation accurately predicts average density under nonhomogeneous traffic conditions. Similar traffic operating characteristics served as the basis for grouping vehicles into five traffic entity types. The association between average density based on observed densities of nonhomogeneous traffic and density derived from the continuity equation had a correlation coefficient of +0.88 for light, four-wheeler type, +0.85 for heavy vehicle type, +0.90 for motorized, three-wheeler type, +0.83 for motorized, two-wheeler type, and +0.50 for nonmotorized, two- and three-wheeler type. Additionally, a nonparametric test, i.e., Wilcoxon signed-rank test, compared observed and derived densities. At a 95% confidence level, no significant difference existed between observed and derived densities of light four-wheeler type, heavy vehicle type, motorized two-wheeler type, nonmotorized two- and three-wheeler type, and between cumulative observed and cumulative derived density. Only in the case of the motorized three-wheeler type, the observed, and derived densities are significantly different. These moderate to strong correlations coupled with the results of the nonparametric test validate the application of the continuity equation when traffic is nonhomogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban transport has serious problems that are symptoms of the general process of rapid urbanization and environmental degradation. Policymakers in general and urban economists in particular have paid little attention to public transport system pricing leading to the absence of a financially viable, self-supporting urban transport system. In this paper, we report a partial equilibrium model developed by us, which captures transport tax reforms in the presence of certain transport externalities. Our theoretical model shows that the question of public transport subsidies to reduce congestion and provide quality transport services depends on three factors: (a) the extent to which such subsidies induce people to switch from private transport to public transport; (b) if the price elasticity of current users of public transport is higher, there may be a sharp rise in public transport ridership as a reaction to increased subsidies, which will have an undesirable effect; and (c) there is the danger that subsidies will cause a loss in productive efficiency. The numerical model of our paper for Delhi shows that the cross price elasticity of public transport demand with respect to the price of private transport is significant (0.63) in the off-peak period whereas the same in the peak period is somewhat low (0.16) and the combined effect of these elasticities will result in a considerable modal shift in favour of bus transport demand (19%) if the price of public transport were to be subsidized and private transport were to be priced optimally. Even without subsidy, the modal shift will be significant (18%), if the under-priced private transport modes are optimally priced keeping the current bus prices constant. This paper shows that there will be significant welfare gains in both these scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic on Indian roads (both urban and inter-urban) consists of a variety of vehicles. These vehicles have widely different static and dynamic characteristics. The traffic is also very different from homogeneous traffic which primarily consists of motorized vehicles. Homogeneous traffic follows strict lane discipline as compared to non-homogeneous traffic. Western traffic planning methodologies mostly address the concerns of homogeneous traffic and therefore often prove inadequate in solving problems involving non-homogeneous traffic conditions as found in Indian cities. This paper presents studies conducted on non-homogeneous traffic. Section 1 presents a methodology to verify the continuity equation, the basic block of any traffic planning analysis. In § 2, the methodology developed is applied to modify the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2000 density method to derive passengercar equivalencies (PCEs) or units (PCUs) for heavy vehicles and recreational vehicles. These PCUs appear as 'ET' and 'ER' in HCM tables. The density method assumes motorized, four-wheeler traffic, i.e., homogeneous traffic, and does not include motorized three-wheelers, motorized two-wheelers, and non-motorized traffic often present on Indian highways. By modifying the density method to represent non-homogeneous traffic, which includes significant percentages of motorized, three-wheelers, motorized two-wheelers, and non-motorized traffic entities, one can derive more accurate passenger car units for Indian conditions. Transport professionals can use these PCU values for accurate capacity, safety, and operational analysis of highways carrying non-homogeneous traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pedestrian behaviour was observed at seven selected intersections in Delhi, India. Data collection occurred at these intersections by placing a video camera at each zebra crossing. Pedestrian crossing behaviour was then obtained from careful review of the videotapes. Pedestrian crossing behaviour was analyzed using survival analysis statistical methodology. The analyses produce Kaplan–Meier survival curves for waiting time prior to crossing unsafely, separately for males and females, and for each intersection. Mean observed waiting time and model-based waiting time of 90% of pedestrians were then studied. Mean waiting time of females are 27% more than for males, while the waiting time of 90% of female pedestrians are 44% more than the corresponding number for males. The probability for a pedestrian to cross the road, when it is unsafe, i.e. motor vehicles still have green or yellow, varies with waiting time. People do not want to wait too long to cross streets. As signal waiting time increases, pedestrians get impatient and violate the traffic signal. This violation places them at increased risk of being struck by a motor vehicle. Thus, reducing the waiting time for pedestrians are likely to decrease the probability of pedestrian crossers being hit by a motor vehicle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

At the time of going to press, the world is reeling in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic, and the subject of safety is uppermost on everybody's mind. This is in effect, a behavioral study that examines travel patterns among commercial motorcyclists who are a high risk occupational group with a notable burden of injury from road traffic crashes. Dipanjan Mukherjee, et al., from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in India, have presented a study on modelling risk factors for fatal pedestrian crashes in the city of Kolkata. [Extracted from the article]

Women form an important part of the workforce originating from the slums in the city of Delhi, India. The paper illustrates that women spend more time travelling on slower modes of transport to access work; the faster modes are more expensive. Their time–poverty demands they look for work at shorter distances from home. The basic argument presented is that their ability to contribute to the alleviation of their standard of living and their status in society is severely curtailed by their limited mobility and the constrained accessibility to the transport system of the city. This transport deprivation becomes further exacerbated by the process of forced eviction and relocation of low‐income households to the periphery of the city, causing the women to lose livelihood opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current transportation policies in mega-cities worldwide lead to major threats to health through traffic injuries, air pollution, noise, reduction in physical activities, and adverse impact on urban quality of life. In addition, a large section of the population in cities in low-income countries has to live in informal-sector, substandard housing. Many transportation policies fail to take enough account of their impacts on poverty and social exclusion, and they neglect the access and transportation demands of the more economically disadvantaged groups of society, who rely mostly on public transportation, walking, and cycling. Delhi, the capital city of India, is an interesting case because failure to consider the broad spectrum of health effects that may result from transport and land-use policies and investments has resulted in decisions that penalize the least affluent groups of the population and make it more difficult for them to get to jobs, education, health care, amenities, and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-motorized transport is an integral element of urban transport in Indian cities. More than 50% of the city residents cannot afford any other mode of transport unless heavily subsidized. Therefore, non-motorized transport has to be given equal priority in designing the urban infrastructure. This paper uses Delhi, India as a case study to indicate that the existing urban transport infrastructure in cities does not meet the needs of a large number of city residents who remain outside the formal planning process. This leads to sub-optimal conditions for all modes of transport. An efficient bus system cannot be designed without taking care of the slow vehicles (non-motorized vehicles, NMVs) on the road. Since sustainable transport systems in Indian cities demand the movement of large number of people by bus transport and NMVs, planning for the latter is indispensable. Planning for non-motorized transport and integrating it with the other modes of city transport is a prerequisite for creating sustainable transport systems, thus leading to sustainable cities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]