An In-Depth Assessment of Gainesville’s Challenges and Solutions to Traffic Safety

Introduction

As of 2018, pedestrian crash fatalities have increased 53% since a low point in 2009 and now account for 17% of crash fatalities, with most pedestrian deaths occurring in urban areas[1]. Since a dip in pedestrian fatalities of two in 2016, there have been on average ten pedestrian fatalities per year in Gainesville. One of the more concentrated areas of fatal accident locations is the University of Florida[2]. College campuses are typically high-risk areas for traffic accidents due to their multimodal environment that combines large amounts of walking and biking with heavy traffic. While 40% of crashes occur at intersections, most others occur in locations such as sidewalks and parking lots. On college campuses, there are three 'hot-spots' where pedestrian and cyclist accidents occur: campus activity hubs, campus access hubs, and traffic hubs; it is on the periphery of campus where crash injuries tend to be the most serious[3]. The tragic accident on January 16th, 2021, where a car hit five UF students on West University Avenue, causing freshman Sophia Lambert to pass away, is likely what is most recent in our minds[4]. However, that intersection has a history of fatalities, where another UF student, Maggie Paxton, died in a hit-and-run accident three months ago in the same area. UF students Denise Griffith and Abigail Doughtery were also involved in fatal accidents on University avenue in January 2020 and October 2016, respectively. These instances support the traffic study findings, as the accidents occurred at a traffic hub at the periphery of campus. To ensure serious change occurs to enhance traffic safety on UF's campus, solutions must consider these facts.

Fatal Accidents in Near University of Florida Campus from 2005-2019

(Map and data from City-Data)

Each circle indicates a fatal car accident with larger circles representing a greater number of fatalities. As previously stated, West University Avenue remains a prime location for car accidents at specific intersections near the university campus.

Fatalities in high-traffic areas persist across many colleges and universities. Urban areas host many collegiate institutions and present the dangers associated with urban traffic. Accidents at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan, to name a few, mimic the tragedy at the University of Florida. Last October, Notre Dame cited two deaths and one hospitalization due to a vehicle collision with pedestrians and student apartments [5]. The area in question lacked sidewalks, and the incident occurred at night. Ann Arbor, Michigan's incident resulting in the disability of a University of Michigan student, was reportedly caused by low visibility. The driver's mother and other advocates in the community are pushing for better lighting and signage at crosswalks, such as where the incident occurred [6]. The results of a 2013 research study [7] in Minnesota on the effectiveness of traffic safety countermeasures indicated that the presence of fixed roadway lighting reduced the expected number of nighttime crashes by 6% At the University of Florida. Risk factors of West University Ave include pedestrians and drivers alike.

There were 19 Fatal accidents in 2019 in Gainesville and eight fatalities on West University alone [8]. There have been two student deaths within the last two months. The increase in accidents over the years endangers students and threatens daily activity. From the data and chart (based on 445 reports) 48.8% of these accidents occur in dark lighting as opposed to 32.4% occurring in the daylight.

Proposed Solutions

Alongside universities, municipal governments aim to improve lighting at intersections, increase signage, and construct various speed bump devices. Overall improving student/pedestrian safety in urban areas. A recent email from Dr. Charles Lane, the UF Chief Operating Officer, laid out new measures they aim to take:

· Initiate an enhanced high visibility traffic enforcement program along W. University Avenue, SW Archer Road, SW 34th Street, and SW 13th Street (e.g., focusing on crosswalk, pedestrian, speeding, and scooter safety violations)

· Install lighted message boards with speed monitoring, which will remain in place for the foreseeable future

· Increase permanent signage, including a "Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk" at Gale Lemerand Drive and W. University Avenue

· Repaint crosswalks to improve visibility along W. University Avenue

While these measures proposed by the university seem to tackle visibility, a primary issue, recent accidents, such as the event on January 17th, also involved concerns with pedestrian safety. Further, the Gainesville City Commission has proposed closing the 100 and 200 blocks of NW 17th street to reduce traffic. GPD has initiated the "GATOR STEP (Special Traffic Enforcement Program)." The program will conduct "high visibility traffic enforcement" along W University, SW 34th Street, SW Archer Road, and SW 13th Street. In this program, the GPD will also conduct a crash analysis [9] from the 1300 block to the 2200 block of W University Avenue. With W University Avenue being a state road and subsequently regulated by the FDOT, there are limited actions the City of Gainesville can take aside from enforcement programs and temporary devices.

The FDOT implemented traffic light changes on W University Avenue that require more frequent stops. The FDOT also announced temporary speed bumps and speed limit reductions (30mph to 25mph). They scheduled speed limit reduction for months alongside temporary speed bumps. For this reason, Commissioner Harvey Ward has proposed to the FDOT the turning over of responsibility of roads: West University Avenue, from E. 15th St. to W. 22nd St. and U.S. 441 from N. 16th Ave. to S. 16th Ave. to the City of Gainesville. Some dissenters fear that the turning over state-funded roads will incur higher taxes on residents. They also cite increased pedestrian density due to the prolific construction of high-rise apartments along these corridors.

Further, the city commission's proposal included closing through traffic on W University Avenue. Covering the costs of increased signage may require collaboration between the University of Florida, Alachua County, and the City of Gainesville may be necessary, and the overall redesign of W University Ave, according to City Commissioner Adrian Hayes Santos. Commissioner Ward stated that all incidents result from poorly designed and outdated FDOT roads, not the city of Gainesville roads. Most notable of the Commissions' 7-point plan [10] are:

· Creating a coalition of local partners, other cities' commissioners, and legislators with connection to UF to support funding allocations.

· Ask the District Secretary of FDOT for a reduction in the speed limit on W. University Ave., flashing light signage, and appropriate barriers along the sidewalks.

Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe raised concerns about making decisions regarding traffic changes without professional input. He specifically noted the effectiveness of barriers and closing the intersection at NW 17th Street, where the January 16th incident occurred.

Effectiveness of Various Methods

The effectiveness of methods is predicated on the accurate assessment of the cause-effect relationship between countermeasures and crashes [11]. Local governments, university administrations, and others with vested interests in the safety of high-traffic areas have attempted different strategies. Many include the introduction of various flashing yellow beacons and have found success. This study examining the average treatment effect of fixed roadway lighting at intersections in Minnesota indicated that the installation of intersection lighting reduces fatal and severe injury crashes by 16.67% at unlighted intersections. These findings support the planned measures put forth by UF that target low visibility. Other research papers [12] on improving traffic safety in school zones also support these findings as they evaluated the effectiveness of the rear-facing beacons at four different sites. Hawkins's study [13] concluded that the addition of rear-facing flashing beacons within a speed zone could increase driver compliance with speed limits in school zones with substantial length. West University Ave is a zone of significant length spanning the entirety of the Northern side of the main UF campus and matches this description and could benefit from rear-facing beacons. Michael H. Schrader conducted another study[14] on the effectiveness of selected traffic control devices for school zones. The four tested devices were: fiber optic signs, span-wire-mounted-flashing-yellow-beacons, transverse lavender stripes, and large painted legends. Fiber optic signs were traffic control devices that saw a speed reduction at the 95 percent level. This point suggests that they are the most effective in reducing speed compared to other traffic control devices. A study by the Gwinnett County Department of transit in Lawrenceville, Georgia (greater metro Atlanta) evaluated the effectiveness of speed tables.The study looked at 43 residential streets where speed tables were installed and compared the frequency of crashes two or three years before installation and then two or three years after installation. The results found that [15]total crashes decreased by 38%, and real injuries also decreased by 93%.

Conclusion

While stakeholders are taking measures to address heavy traffic on W. University Avenue in the short-term, long-term change mandates substantial and consistent cross-collaboration between various entities, including UF, the City of Gainesville, and the State. UF's emphasis on the visibility issue and the Minnesota research study's findings on the positive impact of enhanced visibility on improving traffic safety indicates the likely effectiveness of FDOT's response, GPD's "high visibility traffic enforcement," and further implementation of signage in the short-term. While some view Commissioner Ward's proposal to turn over State roads' responsibility to the city as burdensome for residential taxpayers, it may provide Gainesville with the flexibility to implement tried and tested solutions, such as implementing fiber optic signs. Concurrently, concerns of a heavier tax burden remain valid and will challenge implementing long-term change. Regardless of the path taken to address these issues, the necessity for pulling all the stops to implement much-needed traffic safety measures in high-risk areas is evident.

[1] "Fatality Facts 2018: Pedestrians." 2018. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute,. https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedestrians (23 February 2021).

[2] "Fatal Car Crashes and Road Traffic Accidents in Gainesville, Florida." 2021. City-data.com. https://www.city-data.com/accidents/acc-Gainesville-Florida.html (23 February 2021).

[3] Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Aditya Medury, Camille Fink, Offer Grembek, Kevan Shafizadeh, Norman Wong & Phyllis Orrick 2014. Crashes on and Near College Campuses: A Comparative Analysis of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety, Journal of the American Planning Association, 80:3, 198-217, DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2014.978354

[4] Hemenway, A., 2021. UF student dead after car crash on University Avenue. [online] Available at: <https://www.alligator.org/article/2021/01/car-crash-on-university-avenue> [Accessed 23 February 2021].

[5] Spalding, Mary Beth. 2021. "2 Notre Dame Students Killed, 1 Injured After Being Hit By Car In South Bend." https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2020/10/24/notre-dame-students-killed-hit-car-south-bend-indiana/6028322002/ (23 February 2021).

[6] Hutchinson, Derick, and Shawn Ley. 2021. "Mother Pushes For Change After University Of Michigan Student Hit By Car In Crosswalk." clickondetroit.com. https://www.clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-arbor/2019/01/24/mother-pushes-for-change-after-university-of-michigan-student-hit-by-car-in-crosswalk/ (23 February 2021).

[7] Sasidharan L, Donnell ET. Application of propensity scores and potential outcomes to estimate effectiveness of traffic safety countermeasures: Exploratory analysis using intersection lighting data. Accid Anal Prev. 2013 Jan;50:539-53. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2012.05.036. Epub 2012 Jun 29. PMID: 22749318.

[8] "Fatal Car Crashes and Road Traffic Accidents in Gainesville, Florida." 2021. City-data.com. https://www.city-data.com/accidents/acc-Gainesville-Florida.html (23 February 2021).

[9] "GPD Responds to Recent Traffic Accidents." 2021. Alachua Chronicle. https://alachuachronicle.com/gpd-responds-to-recent-traffic-accidents/ (23 February 2021).

[10] Cabrera, Jennifer. 2021. "Gainesville City Commission Votes To Make Changes On University Avenue." Alachua Chronicle. https://alachuachronicle.com/gainesville-city-commission-votes-to-make-changes-on-university-avenue/ (23 February 2021).

[11] Sasidharan, Lekshmi. 2011. "CAUSAL MODELING APPROACH TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAFFIC SAFETY COUNTERMEASURES." https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/3841 (23 February 2021).

[12] Rahman, Md Hasibur. 2019. "Improving Traffic Safety At School Zones By Engineering And Operational Countermeasures." https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/6560/ (23 February 2021).

[13] Jr, H.G.. 2007. Rear-Facing School Speed Limit Beacons. ITE Journal (Institute of Transportation Engineers). 77. 18-23.

[14] Schrader, M. H. 1999. Study of Effectiveness of Selected School Zone Traffic Control Devices. Transportation Research Record, 1692(1), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.3141/1692-04

[15] Bretherton, W. Martin. 2003. "Do Speed Tables Improve Safety?" National Association of City Transportation Officials. https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Do-speed-tables-improve-safety_bretherton.pdf (23 F