Citation

Thomas C, Ferguson E, Feng D, DePriest J. Transp. Res. Rec. 1992; 1372: 18-25.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Increasing motorization in developing countries may have positive or negative implications for urban mobility, mainly because of potential conflicts with the predominantly nonmotorized transportation in these countries. The potential for improved planning to avoid conflicts between these two increasingly important types of travel modes is considered. The most common difficulty in planning to reduce conflicts between motorized and nonmotorized transportation lies in the phenomenal growth in automobile ownership that has occurred in the last 10 or 20 years. Urban planning in Guangzhou (formerly Canton), China, located near Hong Kong is used as an example of planning to accommodate this phenomenon. Pooled accident data for 1989 and 1990 are used to illustrate the complex relationship between various types of collisions and traffic accident severity. Most traffic accidents in Guangzhou appear to reflect relative probabilities associated with purely random occurrences. Some types of accidents, including those involving two automobiles or two motorcycles, were more severe, as measured in terms of the ratio of personal injury to fatality accidents, than was expected, relatively speaking, on an a priori basis. This suggests that drivers of automobiles and motorcycles in Guangzhou are less well prepared for the worst types of accidents than are pedestrians or bicyclists, and that this lack of preparation is independent of any conflicts that may arise between motorized and nonmotorized traffic. The random component of accident severity nonetheless predominates overall, with the end result being that pedestrians and bicyclists are much more likely than those in automobiles or on motorcycles to be injured or killed when traffic conflicts leading to collisions between motorized and nonmotorized modes of travel do occur.

METHODS to reduce conflicts between motorized and nonmotorized modes of travel under increasing motorization may include education, experience, or the construction of physical barriers through grade separation. Because of the high cost of grade separation, however, it has been used only sparingly in most developing countries. There are some exclusive bicycle lanes in China, as well as some separated bicycle parking facilities, but not many. Other strategies of possible use in developing countries include the identification of truck-free areas or time periods and the creation of automobile-free zones in commercial or residential areas. In terms of controlling the rate of growth in automobile traffic and determining where such growth should occur, improved zoning regulations for automobile parking and the use of fees and licensing for road access may be used. In terms of safety, improved driving rules and better lane marking are important considerations. Travel demand management, in the form of comprehensive land use plan elements and zoning regulations that encourage employer action to promote alternative modes of travel, might be considered.

Record URL:
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1992/1372/1372-003.pdf

Language: en