Citation

Kravetz D, Noland RB. Transp. Res. Rec. 2012; 2320: 10-17.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.3141/2320-02

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Environmental justice regulations have proliferated in the past two decades as a method for community activists to challenge federally funded projects if they perceive that they may have a disproportionate impact on low-income communities of color. Recently, arguments have surfaced suggesting that disparities in traffic safety investments be included under the umbrella of environmental justice. This study reviewed the literature on transit-related environmental justice arguments and examined the relationship between pedestrian crashes and low-income communities of color (as well as a series of other factors). A negative binomial regression was estimated to determine whether these associations existed in a three-county area of northern New Jersey. Low median income and high black and Latino populations are two of several parameters associated with high numbers of pedestrian crashes. An innovative use was made of Street View data in recording road safety features (such as buffers, medians, and pedestrian control buttons) to examine their association with pedestrian crashes at the block group level. These features were also found to vary on the basis of the median income of each block group, although the limited amount of data precluded firm conclusions about how they affect safety. The findings suggest that there is a potential environmental justice issue regarding how pedestrian-friendly road infrastructure is distributed.