Article Text
Abstract
Background During 2006–2009, Beijing Transportation Research Center, Beijing University of Technology (BJUT) and Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) worked together on a project to improve vulnerable road user (VRU) safety at junctions in Beijing.
Six urban junctions were selected for improvement; the construction was undertaken during 2007–2008. Nowadays, the vehicle volume has increased significantly in China compared with 2006 when the project started. The environment has changed, are the facilities put at the junctions still in place? Do people still use them? Have those countermeasures helped to reduce the road crashes at the junctions? BJUT and GRSP carried out a follow up survey in 2010 to find these answers.
Objectives Find out if the road crashes has been reduced since the countermeasures taken. Find out if the undertaken countermeasures/facilities are still in place and still in use; if they are still helping with reducing the traffic conflicts and changing behaviour of road users at the junctions. Make recommendations to the municipal government for further improvement.
Methods Crash data comparison between 2004–2005 and 2008–2009; Road observations and behaviour interview.
Main Findings The numbers of casualty crashes were reduced at all selected junctions. Most of the facilities/countermeasures at the junctions are still in place and still being used. There are still a lot of rooms for improvement.
Significance/Contribution to the Field The survey provides additional information after the project and some food for thoughts. It presents a systematic way of conducting the project.