Browsing by Author "Coll, Sebastian"

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    Pedestrian Risk on Anishinaabe Reservations in Minnesota: Overview and Phase 2 Results
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2024-06) Lindsey, Greg; Hourdos, John; Coll, Sebastian; Petesch, Michael; Carretero, Adrien; Pritchard, Hannah
    Studies by the Federal Highway Administration show that American Indians have higher rates of pedestrian injury and death per capita than any other population group in the United States. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has identified Native Americans as one of six priority populations in Minnesota that face disproportionate risks as pedestrians. This report summarizes efforts taken between 2016 and 2024 to document and reduce risks to pedestrians on the seven recognized Anishinaabe reservations in Minnesota. Across reservations, researchers monitored pedestrian crossings using video recorders at 23 different sites identified by Tribal transportation managers, including 10 Phase 1 sites (2016-2020) and 13 Phase 2 sites (2019-2024). Monitoring results, including pedestrian counts, interactions with drivers, and yield rates, were used to inform planning and implementation of countermeasures to reduce crash risk at six Phase 1 sites and two Phase 2 sites. These countermeasures included marked crosswalks with pedestrian landing pads, better lighting and signage; ADA-accessible pedestrian access ramps; and a pedestrian hybrid beacon. Additional countermeasures have been scheduled or planned for 2024 or later at six more locations. Post-implementation monitoring at six Phase 1 sites confirmed that countermeasures change pedestrian and driver behaviors, but not all pedestrians or drivers use countermeasures as designed. Implementation of countermeasures may change risk factors and reduce risks, but risks cannot be eliminated and will remain after countermeasures are implemented. Consultation, coordination, and cooperation among Tribal, state, and local transportation planners and engineers are essential to reducing crash risk and increasing pedestrian safety.
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    Proactive Traffic Safety Improvements
    (2023) Christianson, Mark; Coll, Sebastian; Hoge, Jenna; Miller, Elias
    The City of Minneapolis has adopted a Vision Zero goal, committing to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries on streets in Minneapolis by 2027. City officials have focused on seven specific street modifications that can encourage motorists to drive more slowly and increase their ability to see pedestrians, thus reducing the likelihood of a crash. These treatments are safe lane conversions, pedestrian safety islands, curb extensions, curb protected bike lanes, bikeway medians, raised crossings, and hardened centerlines. Using criteria from the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and Minnesota’s Department of Transportation, the Proactive Traffic Safety Treatments Tool (“the tool”) identifies which treatments are feasible across intersections and streets on Minneapolis’s most crash-prone streets. The tool assigns relevant criteria to each treatment and then imports existing street data to nearly automatically assess the feasibility of each treatment in each location (1,940 target segments total). While some data points - such as the presence of buildings or businesses that generate pedestrian traffic (e.g. schools) - require human judgment to identify, and final design decisions require engineering and planning expertise, the tool automatizes portions of the planning process. In addition to making the decision-making process more efficient, the tool also reduces potential friction between staff, residents, and other agencies. This report details the benefits of and criteria for each of the proposed traffic safety treatments; the tool’s development, characteristics, use, and limitations; and models the tool’s use for a sample of Minneapolis streets.
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    Understanding the History, Evolution and Effectiveness of Transit Governance in the Twin Cities Region
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2021) Ackerman, Ryan; Cuento-Villalobos, Daniel; Linares, Ulises; Kurtz, Greta; Myers-Verhage, Emma; King, Robbie; Anderson, Cole; Do, Don; Lubben, Daniel; Ahmed, Fartun; Lehman, Joseph; Wu, Yuping; Coll, Sebastian; Freier, Ben; Sherry, Ashley; Koenen, Frank; Moorthy, Kribashini Narayana; Randle, Hana
    This report was created by students at the University of Minnesota as part of a year-long partnership between SouthWest Transit and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). The goal of the project was to examine the history and effectiveness of transit governance in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) metropolitan area. SouthWest Transit project lead Matt Fyten collaborated with six teams of students in Dr. Hui Kong and Dr. Frank Douma's course PA 5232/CEGEE 5212: Transportation Policy, Planning, and Deployment, in fall 2021 to analyze the effectiveness of transit governance and policy since Suburban Transit legislation was introduced in the early 1980s. A final student report is available.