Online Newsletter of the UC Berkeley Traffic Safety Center: Volume 3, No. 2, Summer 2006
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Traffic Safety Center Salutes New Graduates
The Traffic Safety Center congratulates six students affiliated with TSC projects who received graduate degrees in 2006.
On projects ranging from identifying locations where a high number of collisions occur to the inadequacies of signal timing for older pedestrians who require more time to cross a street, these recent graduates provided their talents and time to expand our knowledge. Our congratulations and thanks to the following:
Sofia
Arroyo received a Master’s
in Engineering. In her research she discovered that drivers using intersection
decision support systems (IDS) to make left turns put pedestrians at
greater risk rather than less. IDS systems are designed to warn drivers
about oncoming traffic. In her paper, “The Relevance of Pedestrians
on Intersection Decision Support Systems to Reduce Left Turn Across Path-Opposite
Direction Collisions,” she describes how IDS systems can be modified
to reduce risks to pedestrians. She co-authored a paper for the 2006
Annual Meeting of the Transortation Research Board: Gap Acceptance for
Vehicles Turning Left Across Oncoming Traffic: Implications for Intersection
Decision Support. (Abstract
on TRB Web site 06-2696). Download PDF.
Working
with researchers from PATH (California Partners for Advanced Transit
and Highways) to examine Caltrans’ methods
for identifying high collision locations throughout the state,
Yohan Brillault researched various approaches for identifying
these locations. Brillault, who received a Master’s in
Engineering with an emphasis on transportation, is continuing to work
on this project.
As an undergraduate, Huong Bui coordinated the TSC’s
teen safety project, which culminated in the report, “Teens and
Driving in California: Summary of Research and Best Practices.” After
receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental
Science in the School of Natural Resources, she took a job as a staff
analyst for the Judicial Council of California Administrative Office
of the Courts in San Francisco, where she is currently working on a project
aimed at educating teens who are at risk for becoming DUI offenders.
Anh Nguyen conducted an audit of pedestrian signal
timing on San Pablo Avenue. He determined that signal timing is inadequate
at a number of intersections, making it more difficult for older pedestrians
with slower walking speeds to cross safely. Nguyen received a Master’s
in Architecture as well as City and Regional Planning.
Terri O’Connor received a dual Master’s
degree in Transportation and City and Regional Planning. She coordinated
the TSC’s study on pedestrian and bicycle injuries on San Pablo
Avenue, a busy thoroughfare that runs through several communities. Using
a sophisticated approach developed by FHWA called “zone analysis” she
identified high-risk locations for pedestrians and bicyclists. In her
paper for Caltrans, “Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Evaluation in
a SMART Corridor—Berkeley Segment,” she analyzed what conditions
contributed to collisions at these sites and suggested cost-effective
preventative measures.
Trinh Pham received a Master’s in Statistics and used her knowledge to show that the rate of pedestrian collisions is inversely related to total pedestrian volume. Contrary to what might be assumed, the more pedestrians in an area, the fewer the number of pedestrian injuries. She co-authored a paper for the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board. The Continuing Debate about Safety in Numbers—Data From Oakland, CA. (Abstract on TRB Web site 06-2616). Download PDF