Does what happens in Vegas increase pedestrian safety? A longitudinal study on the effectiveness of pedestrian bridges

Urban populations continue to rise and the frequency that pedestrians are exposed to vehicular traffic continues to increase. The result is an increase in automobile versus pedestrian collisions. This study aims to determine the efficacy of pedestrian bridges in reducing the rates of automobile‒pedestrian collisions. Data for all automobile versus pedestrian collisions and injuries from July 1997 through December 2023 at four distinct intersections along Las Vegas Boulevard were retrieved from the Nevada Department of Transportation. These sites were chosen because of their historically high rates of automobile versus pedestrian incidents and the construction of pedestrian bridges at three of the intersections during the time period being investigated. Difference-in-differences regression models and before-after comparisons were performed. Every intersection studied demonstrated a decrease in the rate of incident, and we found an estimated incidence rate ratio (IRR) for the bridge installation effect was 0.68 (p = 0.056). The data suggest that, among many other factors, the construction of pedestrian bridges at highly trafficked intersections may be an effective way to increase public safety and reduce the rate of automobile versus pedestrian incidents.