This study investigates the effect of reduced lane width on the occurrences of bus sideswipe crashes in the state of Florida. The study employed three different methods i.e., questionnaire survey, analysis of transit agencies’ incident reports, and lane encroachment field observational study.The results of all three methods consistently suggested a relationship between lane width and bus safety. The results of the questionnaire survey indicated that most streets that are perceived by transit operational and safety officials to be less safe for buses have lane widths of 11 feet or narrower. Analysis of data obtained from the transit agencies incident reports showed that the average width of the roadways that had sideswipe and mirror collisions was found to be 10.55 ft. A one-tail two-sample t-test revealed that a significant difference exists between the lane widths of roadways where bus related crashes occurred and all roadways on transit routes with a p-value of less than 0.001. The analysis also showed over-representation in sideswipe and mirror crashes on bus routes with lane widths of10 feet of narrower. Lastly, field observations indicated an inverse relationship between encroachments and lane width.
Abstract