The document discusses transportation safety and mobility on the Indiana University Bloomington campus, specifically regarding the Tenth Street corridor. It aims to determine if a mid-way pedestrian crossing island installed in 2010 has increased safety or worsened congestion. It reviews literature supporting crossing islands' safety benefits. Methods for assessing the island's effectiveness include analyzing traffic data, surveys, and observational data. Preliminary results found crashes reduced 40%, speeds and volumes down 30%, and over 90% of pedestrians used the crosswalk. However, congestion remains an issue during peaks. Future policies should focus on increasing alternatives to driving like biking and promote sustainability goals.

1. Transportation Safety and Mobility on IU
Bloomington Campus: Tenth Street Corridor
Presenter: Eric Gu | Mentor: Scott Robinson | Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Research Questions
• Does the installation of Tenth Street mid-way pedestrian
crossing island (in August 2010) increase safety for
pedestrians and cyclists, or does it worsen the situation by
aggravating the congestion during vehicle traffic peak
time?
• In the future, when implementing campus transportation
policies according to IU TDM strategy, which user groups
should be the primary focus in order to achieve the 2022
TDM goal?
Literature Review
• U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
concludes that, if pedestrian crossing islands are designed
appropriately,they may reduce pedestrian crashes by 46% and motor
vehicle crashes by up to 39%; they may decrease delays (by >30%) for
motorists; they allow pedestrians a safe place to stop at the mid-point
of the roadway before crossing the remaining distance; they enhance
the visibility of pedestrian crossings,particularly at un-signalized
crossing points; and they can reduce the speed of vehicles
approaching pedestrian crossings.
• Scott Kubly, director of Seattle Department of Transportation states that
“By providing a refuge for pedestrians that is removed from the flow of
traffic, crossing islands begin to return the street environment,and the
city, back to the scale of the human being.”
Project Overview / Background
Tenth Street, as an important east-west corridor on Indiana
University Bloomington campus, serves to accommodate the
mixed modes of transportation movement within campus, as well
as between points east and west of campus. Currently, 23% of
off-campus students, and 71% of employees drive alone to
commute to campus. Conversely, only 6% of off-campus students
and 5% employees use bicycles as transportation (TDM Final
2012).TDM’s (Transportation Demand Management) goals aim
to to reduce drive-alone commuting to campus by 10 percent by
year 2022; to elevate status of walking, biking, and carpooling; to
build awareness to capitalize on existing programs and build
momentum for alternative transportation use; to provide financial
incentives for alternative modes; and to provide additional TDM
programs and supportive infrastructure improvements.
Indiana University Transportation Demand Management study
defines the benefits of reducing drive-alone commuting as the
following:
Methods
Data Results: Pedestrian Crossing Island
Survey Results: Comments on the Island
Observation Results: Island Usage
Conclusion
To develop a set of campus transportation policies to achieve
sustainability goal of 2022, suggested by 2012 TDM plan, social,
economic, and environmental approaches should all be deliberated
on. As of right now, the installation of the corridor mid-way
pedestrian crossing island has reduced crashes by 40%, total
vehicle volume and average speed both by around 30%, which has
greatly promoted pedestrians and cyclists’ safety. In addition to this,
more campus-wide policies and road designs are in great demand
to be developed and implemented to effectively help elevate the
status of walking, biking and carpooling.
While facing certain issues, like vehicle congestion during peak
hours, an economic approach, such as parking tax, or restrictions on
on-campus student housing parking permits should be considered
as one of the ways to decrease incentives to drive. On the other
hand, in order to increase incentives to bike, infrastructures such as
bike lanes need to be updated, as 70% of the respondents of the
online survey call for more bike lanes.
With a mix of policy approaches on sustainable transportation,we
hope see a greener future at Indiana University by 2020.
Works Cited
10th Street Study Area [Personal photograph taken in 1275 E 10th St, Bloomington, IN]. (2016, February).
City of Bloomington Engineering Department. (2009, March 25). Nu-Metrics Traffic Analyzer Study Computer
CITYGenerated Summary Report. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
City of Bloomington Engineering Department. (2016, March 8). E. 10th St. Eastbound N. Fee Ln. to N. Jordan
CITYAve. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
City of Bloomington Engineering Department. (2016, March 8). E. 10th St. Westbound N. Fee Ln. to N. Jordan
CITYAve. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
Indiana University Bloomington [Map]. (2016). In Google Maps. Bloomington, IN: Google.
Kubly, S. (n.d.). SDOT: Welcome to the Pedestrian Toolbox: Crossing Islands/Pedestrian Median Islands.
CITYRetrieved April 25,2016, from
CITYhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/pedestrian_masterplan/pedestrian_toolbox/tools_deua_islands.h
CITYtm
Proven Safety Countermeasures - Medians and Pedestrian Crossing Islands in Urban and Suburban Areas -
CITYSafety | Federal Highway Administration. (n.d.).Retrieved April 25, 2016, from
CITYhttp://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/fhwa_sa_12_011.cfm
Transportation Demand Management Plan Indiana University Bloomington (Rep.). (2012,November).
CITYRetrieved March 18, 2016, from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. website:
CITYhttp://sustain.indiana.edu/resources/docs/transportation-demand-management-study.pdf
87
62
73
55
60 59
67
46
41
47
32 30
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Number of Crashes
Installation of Island for
Pedestrian Crossing
40.7%
Using the Pestrian
Crosswalk
92%
Not
Using
8%
Economic
• Reduce parking
demand
• Manage land-
use
• Reduce personal
travel cost
• Ease the
dependence on
non-reusable
energy
Social
• Increase choices
• Reduce peak
period traffic
congestion
• Develop a more
livable
community
• Improve public
health
• Change
behavior and
lifestyle
• Make a more
interactive
environment
Environmental
• Lower
greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions
• Better air quality
• Lower noise
level
To measure the effectiveness of the pedestrian crossing islands on
increasing pedestrians safety, Tenth Street traffic data, crash reports,
and official documents were analyzed, along with observational
data and survey questions reflecting the usage of the island.
• Supporting Data and Documents:
• City of Bloomington Accident Data (2003-2015)
• City of Bloomington Traffic Speed and Volume Data (2009,2016)
• City of Bloomington Bus Ridership Data (2003-2015)
• Campus Bus Ridership Data (2015-2016)
• Indiana University Campus Master Plan
• 10th Street Mobility Study
• Transportation Demand Management Indiana University
• Study Area User Behavioral Data Collection:
• 2/22/16 - 2/26/16 9:00-9:15AM pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists raw
count
• 2/29/16 - 3/4/16 9:00-9:15AM traffic island usage raw count
• Google Form Online Survey (88 Respondents):
• Sources of preferred transportation on campus
• Incentives to bike
• Ratings of current and future designs or policy changes
• General comments on the study area
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10 to 14 15 to 19 20 to 24 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49
Speed Chart 2009
West Bound East Bound
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10 to 14 15 to 19 20 to 24 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49
Speed Chart 2016
West Bound East Bound
Speed
-29.4%
Volume
-31.2%
Vehicles Speed (mph) Vehicles Speed (mph)
Vehicles Quantity Vehicles Quantity
Year
Number of Crashes
Least
Favorable
15%
A Little
Favorable
19%
Neutral
28%
Somewhat
Favorable
24%
Most
Favorable
14%
“add a light
just for
pedestrian”
“is a disaster
during peak
times”
“love to see
vehicles
banned”
“pedestrian
bridge is an
excellent idea”
“congested at
peak hours”
• Observation data was collected
from February 29th to March 4th
9:00AM-9:15AM daily.
• A total of 646 pedestrians were
counted during the data collection
period.
• “Using the pedestrian crosswalk” is
defined as pedestrians or cyclists
crossing Tenth Street through the
mid-way island.
• Anyone else crossing Tenth Street
study area without using either the
crosswalks or the mid-way island
(jaywalking) is defined as “not
using.”