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TRANSIT
TCRP REPORT 137
COOPERATIVE
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
Sponsored by
the Federal
Transit Administration
Improving Pedestrian
and Motorist Safety Along
Light Rail Alignments
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TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECT TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2009 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
SELECTION COMMITTEE*
CHAIR OFFICERS
Ann August
Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Authority CHAIR: Adib K. Kanafani, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
VICE CHAIR: Michael R. Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of
MEMBERS Governments, Arlington
John Bartosiewicz
McDonald Transit Associates EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
Michael Blaylock
Jacksonville Transportation Authority MEMBERS
Linda J. Bohlinger
HNTB Corp. J. Barry Barker, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY
Raul Bravo Allen D. Biehler, Secretary, Pennsylvania DOT, Harrisburg
Raul V. Bravo & Associates Larry L. Brown, Sr., Executive Director, Mississippi DOT, Jackson
John B. Catoe, Jr.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Deborah H. Butler, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Corporation,
Gregory Cook Norfolk, VA
Veolia Transportation William A.V. Clark, Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles
Terry Garcia Crews David S. Ekern, Commissioner, Virginia DOT, Richmond
StarTran
Kim R. Green Nicholas J. Garber, Henry L. Kinnier Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of
GFI GENFARE Virginia, Charlottesville
Angela Iannuzziello Jeffrey W. Hamiel, Executive Director, Metropolitan Airports Commission, Minneapolis, MN
ENTRA Consultants
John Inglish
Edward A. (Ned) Helme, President, Center for Clean Air Policy, Washington, DC
Utah Transit Authority Will Kempton,
Randell Director,
H. Iwasaki, California
Director, DOT,
California Sacramento
DOT, Sacramento
Jeanne W. Krieg Susan Martinovich, Director, Nevada DOT, Carson City
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority Debra L. Miller, Secretary, Kansas DOT, Topeka
Jonathan H. McDonald
Stantec Consulting Neil J. Pedersen, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore
Gary W. McNeil Pete K. Rahn, Director, Missouri DOT, Jefferson City
GO Transit Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson
Michael P. Melaniphy Tracy L. Rosser, Vice President, Regional General Manager, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Mandeville, LA
Motor Coach Industries
Frank Otero
Rosa Clausell Rountree, CEOGeneral Manager, Transroute International Canada Services, Inc.,
PACO Technologies Pitt Meadows, BC
Keith Parker Steven T. Scalzo, Chief Operating Officer, Marine Resources Group, Seattle, WA
VIA Metropolitan Transit Henry G. (Gerry) Schwartz, Jr., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Peter Rogoff
FTA C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
Jeffrey Rosenberg Linda S. Watson, CEO, LYNXCentral Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Orlando
Amalgamated Transit Union Steve Williams, Chairman and CEO, Maverick Transportation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
Richard Sarles
New Jersey Transit Corporation
Michael Scanlon EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
San Mateo County Transit District Thad Allen (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
Beverly Scott
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Peter H. Appel, Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S.DOT
James Stem J. Randolph Babbitt, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.DOT
United Transportation Union Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA
Frank Tobey George Bugliarello, President Emeritus and University Professor, Polytechnic Institute of New York
First Transit
Matthew O. Tucker University, Brooklyn; Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Engineering, Washington, DC
North County Transit District James E. Caponiti, Acting Deputy Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S.DOT
Pam Ward Cynthia Douglass, Acting Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Ottumwa Transit Authority Administration, U.S.DOT
Alice Wiggins-Tolbert
Parsons Brinckerhoff LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Washington, DC
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
William W. Millar
APTA John C. Horsley, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Robert E. Skinner, Jr. Officials, Washington, DC
TRB Rose A. McMurry, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S.DOT
John C. Horsley Ronald Medford, Acting Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
AASHTO
Victor Mendez U.S.DOT
FHWA William
Victor M.W. Millar, Administrator,
Mendez, President, American Public
Federal Transportation
Highway Association,
Administration, U.S.DOTWashington, DC
Jeffrey F.W.
William Paniati, Acting
Millar, Deputy
President, Administrator
American Publicand Executive Director,
Transportation FederalWashington,
Association, Highway Administration,
DC
TDC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Louis Sanders U.S.DOT
Peter M. Rogoff, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT
APTA Peter Rogoff,
Joseph Administrator,
C. Szabo, Federal
Administrator, Transit
Federal Administration,
Railroad U.S.DOT
Administration, U.S.DOT
Joseph
Polly C. Szabo, Administrator,
Trottenberg, Federal
Assistant Secretary Railroad
for Administration,
Transportation U.S.DOT
Policy, U.S.DOT
SECRETARY
Christopher W. Jenks Robert L. Van Antwerp (Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General,
TRB U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
*Membership as of June 2009. *Membership as of October 2009.
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP REPORT 137
Improving Pedestrian
and Motorist Safety Along
Light Rail Alignments
Don Cleghorn
Allison Clavelle
Jonathan Boone
Maurice Masliah
I TRANS CONSULTING INC.
Toronto, Canada
Herbert S. Levinson
New Haven, CT
Subject Areas
Public Transit
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2009
www.TRB.org
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM TCRP REPORT 137
The nation's growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, Project A-30
and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current ISSN 1073-4872
systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand ISBN 978-0-309-11808-8
service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve Library of Congress Control Number 2009939561
these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, to © 2009 Transportation Research Board
adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to intro-
duce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative
Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by
which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions COPYRIGHT PERMISSION
to meet demands placed on it. Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining
written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report
published or copyrighted material used herein.
213--Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this
and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation
publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the
Administration--now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA,
report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product,
Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem- method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for
educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of
solving research. TCRP, modeled after the longstanding and success- any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission
ful National Cooperative Highway Research Program, undertakes from CRP.
research and other technical activities in response to the needs of tran-
sit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit
research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment,
NOTICE
facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and
The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Cooperative Research
administrative practices.
Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Pro- Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing
posed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was autho- Board's judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the
rized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act purposes and resources of the National Research Council.
of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement out- The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review
lining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooper- this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration
for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions
ating organizations: FTA, the National Academies, acting through the expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and
Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not
Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research orga- necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council,
nization established by APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the the Transit Development Corporation, or the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S.
Department of Transportation.
independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and
Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to
procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research
of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by identi- Council, the Transit Development Corporation, and the Federal Transit Administration
fying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS (sponsor of the Transit Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products or
Committee defines funding levels and expected products. manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely because they are
considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed
by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepare project state-
ments (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide techni-
cal guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process
for developing research problem statements and selecting research
agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research pro-
grams since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve
voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired impact if products fail to
reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on dissemi-
Published reports of the
nating TCRP results to the intended end users of the research: tran-
sit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other support- are available from:
ing material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for Transportation Research Board
workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure Business Office
that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry 500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
practitioners.
The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively and can be ordered through the Internet at
address common operational problems. The TCRP results support and http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. Printed in the United States of America
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 137
Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Senior Program Officer
Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications
Doug English, Editor
TCRP PROJECT A-30 PANEL
Field of Operations
Rongfang "Rachel" Liu, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ (Chair)
Susan Dolemba, Utah Transit Authority, Midvale, UT
Jose I. Farran, ADAVANT Consulting, San Francisco, CA
Scott Friedson, Arizona DOT, Phoenix, AZ
Isabel Kaldenbach, Operation Lifesaver, Arlington, VA
Gerold C. LaBorde, King County (WA) Metro, Seattle, WA
Joseph North, New Jersey Transit Authority, Newark, NJ
Vahak Petrossian, Glendale, CA
Jerry Powers, FTA Liaison
Terrell Williams, FTA Liaison
Richard Pain, TRB Liaison
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FOREWORD
By Gwen Chisholm Smith
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
TCRP Report 137: Improving Pedestrian and Motorist Safety Along Light Rail Transit Align-
ments addresses pedestrian and motorist behaviors contributing to light rail transit (LRT)
safety and describes mitigating measures available to improve safety along LRT alignments.
The report also includes recommendations to facilitate the compilation of accident data in
a coordinated and homogeneous manner across LRT systems. Finally, the report provides
a catalog of existing and innovative safety devices, safety treatments, and practices to use
along LRT alignments.
The results of this research may be useful to transit operators, consultants, and state safety
oversight agencies.
Previous light rail safety related research, including TCRP Report 17: Integration of Light
Rail Transit into City Streets, TCRP Report 69: Light Rail Service: Pedestrian and Vehicular
Safety, and TCRP Research Results Digest 5: Second Train Coming Warning Sign Demonstra-
tion Projects, looked at a number of safety systems, identified safety measures, and proposed
safety enhancements--but they did not provide a systematic approach for the evaluation of
current measures. New safety issues, or at least the potential for new safety issues, have
arisen and need to be evaluated. Additionally, a review of the actual effectiveness of the pro-
posed measures identified in the previous research based on actual experience provides
before-and-after examples that could affirm or disprove their safety benefits.
In addition, it is currently difficult to compile meaningful safety data in a time-efficient
manner. Individual transit agencies have conducted localized safety studies on an ad-hoc
basis; however, these studies have not been coordinated or conducted following consistent
procedures. A system of compiling safety data is needed to enable transit agencies across the
country to report comparable safety data.
Under TCRP Project A-30, iTRANS Consulting Inc. was asked to develop a framework
or template for collecting data to be used to improve pedestrian and motorist safety along
light rail transit alignments. To fulfill this project objective, the research team did the fol-
lowing: (1) collected, reviewed, and summarized published and unpublished information
from U.S. and foreign LRT systems relevant to safety measures, devices, and practices on
LRT alignments, including at-grade crossings and stations with enhanced safety for pedes-
trians, motor vehicles, and LRT passengers; (2) conducted a survey of U.S. LRT agencies to
gather information on the type of data that are collected after an LRT accident (This infor-
mation includes a description of the type of accident data provided to the state safety over-
sight agency, as well as the accident information provided to FTA and other regulatory agen-
cies.); (3) conducted a survey of LRT systems in North America to identify innovative
control devices, applications, and unique operating environments and practices related to
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light rail safety that have been implemented, including enforcement and educational prac-
tices; (4) developed a methodology to perform risk analysis for safety measures at LRT align-
ments; and (5) using the information gathered from the data collected, identified success-
ful elements and new technologies used to improve light rail safety, described possible
factors (including pedestrian and motorist behavior) contributing to LRT safety, and rec-
ommended ways to facilitate the compilation of accident data in a coordinated and consis-
tent manner across LRT systems.
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CONTENTS
1 Summary
8 Chapter 1 Introduction
8 Research Problem Statement
8 Research Objectives
8 Phase I
9 Phase II
10 Research Issues
10 Research Approach
10 Structure of Final Report
12 Chapter 2 State of the Practice Methodology and Summary
12 Methodology
12 Literature Review
13 Survey of Agencies
13 Telephone Consultations
14 Site Visits
15 State of the Practice Summary
15 LRT Exposure to Pedestrians and Motor Vehicles
17 Top LRT Safety Issues
19 LRT Safety Treatments
20 Summary
21 Chapter 3 LRT Safety Data Available from Local
Transit Agencies, SSOs, and the NTD
21 Data Collection and Transfer between FTA/NTD, SSO,
and Local Transit Agencies
22 Collision Data Available, Requested, and Received
22 National Transit Database
23 Purpose of NTD Safety Data Collection
23 Data Collected by NTD
24 The NTD Database
25 NTD Data Quality Issues
31 Analysis of the NTB Database
41 SSO Agencies
41 Purpose of SSO Agency Safety Data Collection
42 Data Collected by SSO Agencies
42 SSO Databases
43 SSO Data Quality Issues
43 Local Transit Agencies
43 Purpose of Local Transit Agency Data Collection
43 Data Collected by Local Transit Agencies
45 Analysis of Local Transit Agency Collision Data
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45 Comparison of Databases
46 Comparison of Local Transit Agency and SSO Agency Databases
48 Comparison of Local Transit Agency and NTD Databases
50 Comparison of SSO and NTD Databases
50 Conclusion
52 Chapter 4 Safety Issues and Their Treatment
52 Root Causes and Contributing Factors
53 Determining LRT Safety Issues and Identifying Treatments
53 Studying LRT Safety Issues and Treatments
53 Determining the Highest Risk LRT Safety Issues
54 Building a Safety Analysis Toolkit
55 General Treatment Strategies
56 Chapter 5 LRT Catalog of Safety Treatments
56 Introduction to the Catalog of LRT Safety Treatments
57 LRT Safety Treatments Included in the Catalog
58 Safety Treatment Information Included in the Catalog
59 Chapter 6 LRT Risk Analysis Methodology
59 Introduction to the Concept of Safety Audits
59 Design Stage
60 Preliminary Design Stage
60 Detailed Design
60 In-use Stage
61 Practical Methodology for Safety Audits
61 Select the Safety Audit Team
61 Provide Background Information to the Safety Audit Team
61 Conduct a Pre-audit Meeting to Review Project Information
61 Assess/Analyze Background Information
61 Perform Site Inspections under Various Conditions
61 Prepare and Submit Safety Audit Report
62 Conduct Safety Audit Completion Meeting
62 Prepare Formal Response by Project Owner/Design Team
62 Incorporate Safety Audit Findings into Project
62 Existing Standards
62 DoD Standard Practice for System Safety (MIL-STD-882D)
63 LRT Risk Assessment Checklist
66 Chapter 7 Improving the Accident Data Collection Process
66 Transit Agency Data
66 Agencies with Multiple Accident Report Forms
67 Incident versus Accident Report Forms
67 Categories of Information Included in Accident Reports
70 Supervisory Agency Data
70 SSO Agency Data
70 FTA/NTD Data
71 Redundancies in Data Collection
71 A Potential National Standard Accident Data Collection Procedure
71 Standardized Electronic LRT Incident Reporting
71 Structure of Reporting Forms
72 Record Exposure Data
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72 LRT Crossing Database
72 Summary of Information to Be Included in the LRT Collision Database
and Reporting Form
74 References
75 Appendix A LRT Catalog of Safety Treatments
147 Appendix B Literature Review--State of the Knowledge
147 Appendix C1 Transit Agencies and Contact Information
of the Persons Who Participated in the Survey
147 Appendix C2 Treatment Usage as Reported
by the Survey Participants
147 Appendix C3 Survey Responses
147 Appendix D Technical Memoranda
147 Appendix E Review of the Accident Data Collection Process
