The effect of road lane width on cyclist safety in urban areas
October 29, 2025Urban street structure and traffic safety
October 29, 2025Does street network design affect traffic safety?
By Marshall, W. E., & Garrick, N. W.
Full Citation
Marshall, W. E., & Garrick, N. W. (2011). Does street network design affect traffic safety?. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 43(3), 769-781.
Key Findings
Data from over 230,000 crashes taking place over 11 years in 24 California cities was analyzed at the U.S. Census Block Group level of geography, controlling for variables such as vehicle volumes, income levels, and proximity to limited access highways and to the downtown area. For all levels of crash severity, street network characteristics correlate with road safety outcomes. Denser street networks with higher intersection counts per area are associated with fewer crashes across all severity levels. Conversely, increased street connectivity as well as additional travel lanes along the major streets correlated with more crashes.
