Motor Vehicle Injury
Conditions
Brief summary
Installing specific traffic calming features designed to reduce vehicle speed and volume around schools may lead to a reduction in injury risk for child pedestrians and bicyclists, and may increase numbers of children walking and bicycling to school. Therefore, this study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of specific built environment features at influencing traffic speed and volume, and active transportation, both immediately following installation and months later.
Detailed description
Background Collisions with motor-vehicles are a leading cause of severe child bicyclist and pedestrian injuries in Canada. Injury rates and severity are associated with traffic speeds and volume but may be moderated through traffic calming. Objective To assess the association of specific traffic calming measures on changes in traffic speed and volume, and active transportation prevalence, around Calgary, Alberta, Canada elementary schools. Design This modified stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial was conducted at a sample of public elementary schools, from July 2020 to May 2021. Schools had either traffic calming curbs or in-street signs installed at an intersection within 100 m of the main entrance. The primary outcome was speed of vehicles driving towards or away from intervention. Secondary outcomes were traffic volume driving past the intervention and counts of children using active transportation at the intervention crosswalk.
Interventions
OTHERTraffic Calming Curbs
Temporary curb extensions, placed at intersections.
OTHERIn-Street Pedestrian Sign
Yield sign placed in middle of road at intersection.
Sponsors
University of Calgary
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Modified Stepped-Wedge Randomized Controlled Trial
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* No individual participants are recruited.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic Speed - Pre-intervention | At each location, a week of pre-intervention data collection will occur a week prior to the intervention being installed. | Traffic speed of all vehicles who pass by the intervention will be recorded. |
| Traffic Speed - Post-intervention | At each location, a week of post-intervention data collection will occur a week after the intervention being installed. | Traffic speed of all vehicles who pass by the intervention will be recorded. |
| Traffic Speed - Follow-up | At a random selection of locations (drawn from those that received the intervention during the school year), a week of data collection will occur during the spring following the installation of the intervention. | Traffic speed of all vehicles who pass by the intervention will be recorded. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Active Transportation Counts - Pre-intervention | At each location, a day of pre-intervention data collection will occur a week prior to the intervention being installed. . | The number of people (Adults v Children) who use the intervention location, and mode of travel (e.g. walking, bicycling). |
| Traffic Volume - Pre-intervention | At each location, a week of pre-intervention data collection will occur a week prior to the intervention being installed. | The number of all vehicles who pass by the intervention will be recorded. |
| Active Transportation Counts - Follow-up | At a random selection of locations (drawn from those that received the intervention during the school year), a day of data collection will occur during the spring following the installation of the intervention. | The number of people (Adults v Children) who use the intervention location, and mode of travel (e.g. walking, bicycling). |
| Active Transportation Counts - Post-intervention | At each location, a day of post-intervention data collection will occur a week after the intervention being installed. . | The number of people (Adults v Children) who use the intervention location, and mode of travel (e.g. walking, bicycling). |
| Traffic Volume - Post-intervention | At each location, a week of post-intervention data collection will occur a week after the intervention being installed. | The number of all vehicles who pass by the intervention will be recorded. |
| Traffic Volume - Follow-up | At a random selection of locations (drawn from those that received the intervention during the school year), a week of data collection will occur during the spring following the installation of the intervention. | The number of all vehicles who pass by the intervention will be recorded. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed