Showing papers by "Lina Kattan published in 2009"
TL;DR: Results show that roadway functional class, routes, traffic flow, types of roadway section, speed limit, traffic control device, functioning of traffic control devices, lighting condition, roadway alignment and roadway profile are important determinants that engineers can target to reduce hit-and-run in fatal crashes.
81 citations
TL;DR: The results showed that the number of pedestrian–vehicle conflicts decreased significantly but theNumber of pedestrian violations increased significantly after implementation of the scramble operation.
Abstract: The City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has implemented a pilot test of the pedestrian scramble operation (also known as the Barnes dance) at two intersections in the downtown area. Pedestrian scramble is an exclusive pedestrian signal phase in which traffic in all four directions is stopped and pedestrians are allowed to make diagonal as well as lateral crossings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the pilot project at one intersection to determine the effect of this new operation on pedestrian safety. Because of the absence of pedestrian-vehicle crashes in this study, the number of pedestrian conflicts was used as a surrogate measure of safety. Field observations were made 6 weeks after the implementation of the scramble operation. Two Poisson regression models were developed to model the number of conflicts and violations. The results showed that the number of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts decreased significantly but the number of pedestrian violations increased significantly after implementation of the scramble operation. The analysis also revealed that 13% of the total violations were "safe side" crossings (concurrent with the vehicle movement), 2% of the violations were "unsafe side" crossings, and about 40% of the total violations were at the beginning of the flashing "Don't Walk" phase (within 2 to 3 s) and persons were able to cross safely within the pedestrian phase. A survey was also conducted to monitor public perception, and the results showed a generally positive attitude toward this new signal operation. It is recommended that the operation be monitored over time and evaluated again.
39 citations
01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: In this paper, a multinomial logit model combined with latent variable models is developed to capture unobserved latent variables in defining perceptions and attitude of transit riders in the City of Calgary, Canada.
Abstract: This paper presents a critical investigation of reasons for using transit by the residents of the City of Calgary, Canada. Reasons of using transit are expressed as functions of peoples' perception and attitude towards transit service quality and attributes. A multinomial logit model combined with latent variable models is developed to capture unobserved latent variables in defining perceptions and attitude. Using a transit customer satisfaction survey data, conducted in 2007 by Calgary Transit authority, this approach models the reasons of choosing transit and tests the significance of two individual specific latent variables: perceptions of 'reliability and convenience' and 'ride comfort'. It reveals many behavioral details that have important policy implications. Most importantly, it is found that the people of Calgary value 'reliability and convenience' over 'ride comfort'. As for policy implications of the findings, it is clear that improving connectivity of train service, reducing multimodal transfers, and increasing dedicated right-of-way for transit would effectively increase transit ridership in Calgary. In terms of application of passively collected data source, this paper shows how non-research oriented survey data can be used to unravel many behavioral details and policy relevance.
8 citations