Examining the Traffic Safety Effects of Urban Rail Transit: A Review of the National Transit Database and a Before-After Analysis of the Orlando SunRail and Charlotte Lynx Systems

University Transportation Centers Program2020PDFTech ReportDumbaugh, EricSaha, DibakarBrakewood, CandaceZiedan, AbubakrFlorida Atlantic UniversityUniversity of TennesseeCollaborative Sciences Center for Road SafetyUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationCollaborative Sciences Center for Road SafetyNorth CarolinaFloridaBefore and after studiesCrash ratesImpactsIntersectionsRail transitTraffic safetyUrban transitCSCRS-R{X}CSCRS-R18Studies of rail transit safety typically focus on collisions involving rail vehicles and other road users. Nonetheless, the introduction of new rail transit into a metropolitan area may result in changes to the design and use of streets and intersections that influence the safety of other road users. This study conducts a before-after analysis of the Orlando SunRail commuter rail system and the Charlotte Lynx light rail system to understand how the introduction of service influences the incidence of total and KAB crashes near stations and along affected intersections. It finds that for SunRail, total and KAB collisions increased near stations and intersections following the introduction of service, with angle collisions, rear-end collisions, and pedestrian collisions experiencing notable increases. Before, data for the Lynx system were somewhat unreliable, though this study found that the total number of crashes occurring near stations and along intersections were even higher for Lynx than for SunRail, with angle, rear-end, and pedestrian collisions occurring at particularly high numbers. This study uses satellite imagery to identify patterns in the configurations where crashes are likely to occur, and suggests enhancement to signal control that may address these issues.140