Near-miss Study
Dian Nostikasari
Kyle Shelton
Beyond Lanes on the Ground: Breaking Barriers to CyclingNational Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)Wednesday, November 1, 2017Chicago, IL
30%
45%
24%
1%
22%
49%
29%
66%
17%
4%
13%
16%
37%
32%
16%
26%
45%
26%
2%
21%
47%
32%
68%
19%
3%
9%
12%
36%
37%
15%
18-30
31-50
> 50
NA
1-person
2-persons
3-persons or more
None
1-2 children
3 or more children
No information
None
1
2
3 or more
Age
(ye
ars)
HH
s si
zeC
hild
ren
Car
ow
ner
ship
13%
18%
22%
38%
8%
11%
17%
19%
42%
11%
Less than $40K
$40K-$69K
$70K-$99K
More than $100K
Prefer not to answer
Ho
use
ho
ld In
com
e
Reported near-misses All participants
STUDY PARTICIPANTS
2.21%23.85% 6.81%42.93% 13.29%
TRAVEL MODES AND REPORTED NEAR-MISSES
• 133 near-miss incidents reported
• 87 incidents involved bicycle-automobile (65%)
• 36 incidents involved pedestrian-automobile (27%)
• 5 incidents involved pedestrian-bicycle (<1 %)
• 5 incidents involved others (automobile-automobile, bus-automobile, bicyclist-bicyclist)(<1%)
Travel modes of all recorded trips
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24
All travel modes Bike Trips Trips with near-misses
Duration, min)
Duration (mins)
Time-of-Day (hr)
TYPES OF NEAR-MISS REPORTED
(39 %) (9 %) (24 %)
(5 %) (8 %) (15 %)
CATEGORIES BY SEVERITY
• Based on speed, distance, evasive actions1
1 Mattingly, Stephen, Colleen Casey, Taylor Johnson, Ziaur Rahman, Rahul Kawadgave, Dian Nostikasari, and Nicole Roeglin. 2017. “App-Based Crowd Sourcing of Bicycle and Pedestrian Conflict Data.” TRCLC 15-7. Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities (TRCLC).
BARRIERS: LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCES
Bicyclists and pedestrians reported feeling a disproportionate burden to take safety measures and actions to avoid collisions.
“I always try to make eye contact at thisintersection. In fact, I frequently try to make
eye contact with drivers to let them know I’m there!!!!”- Female, 58, pedestrian
“In my experience, if nothing is physically stopping a carfrom making an unsafe maneuver, there is at least a chance [to be hit]. So be ready. . . . I stopped abruptly, but safely due to the anticipation.
This is a common occurrence at this intersection.”- Male, 35, bicyclist
The marginalized position of pedestrians and bicyclists as road users contribute to near-miss incidents.
“[A] driver refused to pass in spite of sufficient space and honked, yelled and argued that I should get on the sidewalk
and stay off the road. Even though I told her it was illegal to be on the sidewalk, she was too angry to reason with.”
- Female, 27, bicyclist
“Had green and walk signal. Cars turning at light blew horns. [A] car turned into me deliberately.
Yelled, I should get a job.”- Male, 60, pedestrian
Altercations after near-miss incidents suggest that pedestrians and bicyclists are both verbally and physically marginalized.
“A Silver Chrysler . . . . violated the 3 ft safe passing distance, laid on his horn the entire time to approach/pass, and swerved in front of me so sharply he hits the curb
to block me from passing him again in the traffic [and] at a stop sign. He yelled out his window that, I’m a dumb bitch, I am not a
vehicle, and that I should be run over.This is one of multiple times I have crossed
paths with the same driver in the past year and a half . . . .”- Female, 27, bicyclist
Other comments refer to complex traffic patterns requiring all road users’ attention, bad road conditions, lack of safety markers, and
lack of infrastructure.
“This section of S. Post Oak is too busy to safely cycle on street (fast traffic and trash on street) and there is no good shoulder.
Had to use side walk but those are in very bad condition.”- Male, 62, bicyclist
OPPORTUNITIES
• Complement data sources to address safety issues
OPPORTUNITIES
• Platform to collaborate with other stakeholders to inform future research and strategies
• Work with community groups to incorporate elements of near-miss reporting into larger context of safety and accessibility
• City of Houston’s Complete Communities
