Summary

The San Pablo/I-80 corridor is a "SMART" transportation corridor extending approximately 20 miles from downtown Oakland to the City of Hercules along the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. The corridor is designed to utilize intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology to allow "better management of congestion, improve traffic flow, enhance emergency and incident response, and increase efficiency and management of existing roadway and transit service" (2001). The goals of the corridor are highly desirable and should contribute to increased mobility both within and through communities in the East Bay. However, within the SMART Corridor Program, there has neither been a comprehensive study of, nor systematic planning for, pedestrian or bicycle safety, despite the fact that pedestrian and bicycle safety is a major concern along the corridor. In fact, there are 70-80 pedestrian and bicycle injuries per year on San Pablo Avenue alone, and over 1000 pedestrian and bicycle injuries per year in cities through which the corridor runs.

Success in increasing transit use along the corridor means increased pedestrians and bicyclists traveling to and from transit. Reducing congestion by reducing vehicle use will require that pedestrians and bicyclists can travel safely to schools, work, and shopping. Not addressing the connection between the SMART Corridor goals and objectives and pedestrian and bicycle safety may impede the goals of enhancing overall mobility, reducing motor vehicle congestion, and increasing access to transit. At this point, early in the development and evolution of the SMART Corridor, it is critical to have a detailed analysis of pedestrian and bicycle movement and injury patterns, to determine the factors leading to injury, and to incorporate countermeasures within the overall SMART Corridor planning to help insure the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

Central to our approach is the understanding that the product of this research must be specific, applied, and locally useful. To date we have received letters of support from the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (the agency that manages the San Pablo/I-80 Corridor), the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority, the City of Oakland, and the City of Berkeley.

Research Plans

We will conduct the project in the following steps: First, we will identify areas of high pedestrian/bicycle conflict using GIS-based zone analysis and California Highway Patrol crash data (SWITRS). This will be accomplished using "Zone Analysis" developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a method based on the goal of optimum allocation of resources.

Second, we will conduct detailed observations and analysis of key intersections, using crash analysis and modeling software known as PBCAT, field measurement, and automated video pedestrian/bicycle detection systems. The data from these previous two steps will comprise the baseline data for future evaluations.

Third, we will translate our analysis into specific recommendations and proposed countermeasures.

The fourth and final phase will involve an intensive outreach program, where we will work closely with local governments and planning agencies to select the countermeasures most appropriate to local goals and resources.

The major product of these steps will be a corridor-wide pedestrian and bicycle safety evaluation that reflects our technical analysis, outlines possible solutions, and presents recommended actions that reflect locally preferred alternatives. One of the exciting goals of the SMART Corridor Program is its emphasis on multi-modal transportation. This work is designed to contribute detailed information on the safety of pedestrian and bicycle travel in the corridor, and to develop an overall evaluation of the impact of the changes along the corridor on pedestrian and bicycle safety. As another product, we will produce a document that describes a model for comprehensive pedestrian/bike safety assessments in other corridors or similar areas.