Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections

Abstract

There are more than 212,000 at-grade railroad crossings in the United States. Several feature paths running adjacent to the railroad tracks, and crossing a highway; they serve urban areas, recreational activities, light rail station access, and a variety of other purposes. Some of these crossings see a disproportionate number of violations and conflicts between rail, vehicles, and pedestrians and bikes. This research focuses on developing a methodology for appropriately addressing the question of treatments in these complex, multimodal intersections. The methodology is designed to be able to balance a predetermined, prescriptive approach with the professional judgment of the agency carrying out the investigation. Using knowledge and data from the literature, field studies, and video observations, a framework for selecting treatments based on primary issues at a given location is developed. Using such a framework allows the agency to streamline their crossing improvement efforts; to easily communicate and inform the public of the decisions made and their reasons for doing so; to secure stakeholder buy-in prior to starting a project or investigation; to make sure that approach and selected treatments are more standardized; and to ensure transparency in the organization to make at-grade crossings safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, without negatively impacting trains or vehicles.

Conceptualising innovative lighting interventions for suicide, trespass and risky behaviour on the railway

“…Reactive/manually operated lighting 5,42 An overhead projected lighting product (based around a commercially available Goes Before Optics projector) was developed to produce light zones to indicate optimal waiting positions for boarding and encourage dispersion along the length of the platform, which was controlled by a train management system to activate when a train arrival was imminent. 5 Manual and automatic rapid rectangular flashing beacons (RRFBs) and "pedestrian hybrid beacons" were proposed as a means of pedestrians alerting drivers to their presence and receiving an indicator of when it is safe to cross.…”

“…5 Manual and automatic rapid rectangular flashing beacons (RRFBs) and "pedestrian hybrid beacons" were proposed as a means of pedestrians alerting drivers to their presence and receiving an indicator of when it is safe to cross. 42 Yesfield observation of behavioural response performed by Ryan et al 5…”

“…that are activated via movement sensors when a person is detected Yes -field observation of behavioural response conducted by Siques 39 Reactive/manually operated lighting 5,41 An overhead projected lighting product (based around a commercially available Goes Before Optics projector) was developed to produce light zones to indicate optimal waiting positions for boarding and encourage dispersion along the length of the platform, which was controlled by a train management system to activate when a train arrival was imminent. 5 Manual and automatic RRFBs and 'pedestrian hybrid beacons' were proposed as a means of pedestrians alerting drivers to their presence and receiving an indicator of when it is safe to cross 41 Yes -field observation of behavioural response performed by Ryan et al 5 LED: light emitting diode; RRFBs: rapid rectangular flashing beacons.…”