University of Twente Student Theses
Spatial Analysis Of Road Traffic Crashes And Assessment Of Road Safety Issues From Road Users’ Perspective: A Case Study Of Rotterdam And The Surrounding Urban Conurbation
Shahi, Sachita (2022) Spatial Analysis Of Road Traffic Crashes And Assessment Of Road Safety Issues From Road Users’ Perspective: A Case Study Of Rotterdam And The Surrounding Urban Conurbation.
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| Abstract: | Transport infrastructure is one of the essential commodities needed for accessing opportunities spread across urban areas. Road infrastructure, in particular, is one of them. Along with the advancements in other technological fields, there has also been significant progress in improving the quality of road networks in the past years. Various physical and non-physical interventions have been implemented on roads to improve their safety and serviceability. However, Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) still occur yearly, claiming a substantial proportion of lives and properties. RTCs can be considered a wicked problem in our society that does not have a fixed solution. They encompass multi-sectoral stakeholders such as the public and policymakers. However, different stakeholders can take some steps to tame the wickedness of RTCs. Dutch roads are known to be one of the safest road networks globally. However, this does not imply a total absence of RTCs. Especially in major Dutch cities, where there is an ever-increasing population and vehicles, RTCs continue to occur. Many initiatives have been taken to reduce the occurrence and severity of RTCs. Those measures have been proven successful to some extent. However, there is still room for improvement. In 2020, there were slightly more than 100000 RTCs in the Netherlands. Among them, 19700 resulted in serious injuries, and 610 resulted in deaths. But, the acceptable limit for 2020 was set to a maximum of 10600 serious injuries and 500 deaths by the government. More than a quarter of total RTCs occurred in the South Holland province in 2020. Among the cities in South Holland, Rotterdam had the highest numbers (slightly more than 6000). The accurate data of crash distribution patterns along the road network are essential for developing road safety plans and programs. Furthermore, these initiatives are based on the road users’ perspective and policy makers’ insightfulness on the issue of RTCs. This study is focused on the spatial analysis of RTCs and appraisal of road safety issues from road users’ perspectives. In this research, spatial data of RTCs in the past three years in Rotterdam are taken as the object of the analysis. Global Moran’s I, Local Moran’s I, and Network Kernel Density Estimation was used for spatial analysis. The analysis identified RTC hotspots. Among them, four zones were selected to understand road users’ perception of road safety. This was done by conducting a survey to identify road users’ behavior, perception of road parameters, and road safety policies. At the same time, road users' perception of possible recommendations for improving road safety was also collected. Key informants currently involved in various road safety programs/research in the Netherlands were also interviewed to consider stakeholders' opinions from different sectors. The synthesis of findings unveiled why road users perceive some areas as dangerous and which road policies need to be revised to increase their social acceptability. Various road safety enhancement strategies and measures were discussed in the key-informant interview to determine if they could be implemented in the future. The main points of improvement can be summed up as - increasing the awareness of road users and upgrading road infrastructure in identified problem areas. The recommendations can be implemented to assist the government and other road safety authorities in improving road safety in Rotterdam or any other city. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation |
| Programme: | Spatial Engineering MSc (60962) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/90942 |
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