A survey of 183 Houston riders from the Rice Kinder Institute identified intersections where “close-calls” were common, creating stressful conditions that are barriers to biking and walking. The data helps fill in gaps in crash records, finding problem areas where there had been no official crash but many close-calls. The Kinder Institute’s Dian Nostikasari explains:
That extra layer of analysis has important repercussions. The near-misses that bicyclists and pedestrians sometimes experience may affect their future travel decisions and prompt them to avoid roads they know are dangerous. That, in turn, could reduce the number of collisions at particular intersections. On paper, that could make an area seem safe, even if they aren’t. Thus, those areas could be overlooked if decisions about road safety are based crash incidents alone. That’s why we believe this analysis is particularly important for those looking to improve street conditions and design for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Read the complete article, and see a map of the close-calls, at The Urban Edge