# A Novel Methodology for Planning Urban Road Safety Interventions
## 4 Validation of the Proposed Methodology via Case Study Application
### Proactive Analysis of Black Spots and Intervention Proposals
#### 4.3.1 Black Spots for Pedestrians  
According to the concentration map, critical point A is selected regarding an incident involving pedestrian crossing (see Figure 6). A pedestrian crossing is a critical site for urban road safety. It features two lanes per direction and high traffic volumes--6400 vehicles daily westbound and 18,400 eastbound (January-March 2024 data). This configuration poses significant risks: pedestrians crossing may be hidden by stopped vehicles, particularly in the faster \"passing\" lane, creating blind spots for oncoming drivers. Between 2017 and 2023, the crossing witnessed seven pedestrian-related incidents, including one fatality, averaging one incident per year. The current geometric features and traffic flows were input into the iRAP star rating model, assuming an operating speed of 50 km/h. Below are the results for the current state (Option 0) of the analyzed road segment for both traffic directions. The proactive analysis confirmed the safety issues for pedestrians, immediately revealing a strong correlation between the risk level and traffic intensity. As shown in Figure 7a,b, the star rating for pedestrians is particularly critical in the eastbound direction, where the average daily traffic is three times higher than in the opposite direction, and the risk score is eight times greater. Figure 6: Concentration map outputted by GIS for: (**a**) accidents involving at least one pedestrian, critical point A and (**b**) pedestrian accidents. Figure 7: Star rating option 0: (**a**) east direction and (**b**) west direction. Two potential interventions were proposed to improve pedestrian safety at this critical crossing. The first option focuses on installing a pedestrian traffic light, providing a localized and immediately effective solution. Additionally, implementing advanced technologies, such as pedestrian countdown timers or automatic detection systems, could be considered in subsequent phases. Countdown timers enhance crossing safety by informing pedestrians of the time left to complete their crossing. This allows pedestrians to make better decisions based on their walking speed and reduces unsafe behaviors by clearly indicating waiting times for the green light phase. The proactive analysis of this intervention (Option 1) showed a significant reduction in pedestrian risk levels, particularly in the eastbound direction, with the SRS decreased by a factor of eleven, as demonstrated in Figure 8.  
The second intervention proposes a broader reorganization of the northern side of the avenue, focusing on reducing the number of westbound lanes from two to one between the roundabout and the bus stop. Peak westbound traffic volumes of approximately 600 vehicles per hour suggest that a single lane can accommodate the flow, as traffic already merges into one lane upon exiting the roundabout. The second lane, present immediately after the roundabout, may encourage unsafe behaviors such as speeding or overtaking vehicles that are stopped for pedestrians. The proposed removal of the second lane could create space to widen the sidewalk, enhancing pedestrian and cyclist mobility on the northern side. While this modification does not directly address the crossing's safety, it improves overall transit quality. Conversely, eastbound traffic volumes are too high to implement a similar lane reduction. A simulation of the single-lane configuration westbound (Option 2) assessed the SRS for both directions (see Figure 9). Although the intervention primarily targets westbound traffic, its positive impact extends to the eastbound direction, which faces higher traffic volumes and associated risks. Introducing the \"2 + 1\" lane attribute in the model reduced the SRS for the eastbound direction by approximately four times, reflecting a notable improvement in safety conditions. Another selected black spot is critical point B, identified through heatmaps (see Figure 10a), which includes two pedestrian crossings, approximately 80 m apart.