Midblock Pedestrian Crossing Volumes and Crash Rates in Milwaukee, WI

Despite the majority of US fatal and severe pedestrian injuries occurring at midblock locations, few communities have collected counts to understand pedestrian midblock exposure and crash rates. This study developed a midblock pedestrian crossing count protocol and applied it to 61 street segments in the City of Milwaukee, WI. We counted midblock and adjacent intersection pedestrian crossings manually from 24-h video recordings. Midblock pedestrian crossings were common: 46 of the segments (75%) averaged more than one per hour. Among 48 segments with complete counts for both the midblock and an adjacent intersection crossing zone, 15 (31%) had more crossings in the midblock zone. We estimate that 17% of all pedestrian crossings along these 48 segments were midblock. Using these counts, we developed a negative binomial direct demand model of midblock pedestrian crossing volumes in Milwaukee. Midblock volumes were positively associated with nearby job density, commercial retail properties, and bus stops and negatively associated with posted speed limit and nearby parks. We demonstrated the value of this model by calculating pedestrian crash rates for all of our study segments and by estimating pedestrian crossing volumes for 133 additional street segments along seven roadway corridors. Expanding these methods beyond Milwaukee could lead to improved understanding of midblock pedestrian volumes and crash rates, ultimately helping communities reduce midblock pedestrian injuries and fatalities.