Goods movement, road safety, and spatial inequity: Evaluating freight-related crashes in low-income or minority neighborhoods.

The significant growth in freight traffic and relevant crashes has aroused increasing concerns about road safety threats in local communities. We use data from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area and examine the spatial relationship between freight-related crashes and neighborhoods with low-income and minority populations. We find that both household income and percentage of minority population are significantly correlated with the density of both freight-related crashes and freight-related crashes causing severe injuries and fatalities. The results indicate that freight-related crashes are subject to a spatial inequity problem. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating freight-related safety improvement within these low-income and minority neighborhoods. • The relationship between freight-related crashes and socioeconomics of neighborhoods is examined. • Lower-income and minority neighborhoods have a higher risk of freightrelated crashes. • A coverage validity of the results is revealed in both the census tract and block group level analyses. • Policy implications on local traffic safety improvements and freight planning are provided based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]