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The purpose of this study is to propose a method for vulnerable pedestrians to visualize potential obstacles on sidewalks. In recent years, the number of vulnerable pedestrians has been increasing as Japanese society has aged. The number of wheelchair users is also expected to increase in the future. Currently, barrier-free maps and street-view applications can be used by wheelchair users to check possible routes and the surroundings of their destinations in advance. However, identifying physical barriers that pose a threat to vulnerable pedestrians en route is often difficult.

This study uses photogrammetry to create a digital twin of the three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the existing walking space by collecting photographic images taken on sidewalks. This approach allows for the creation of high-resolution digital elevation models of the entire physical sidewalk surface from which physical barriers such as local gradients and height differences can be detected by uniform image filtering. The method can be used with a Web-based data visualization tool in a geographical information system, permitting first-person views of the ground and accurate geolocation of the barriers on the map.

The findings of this study showed that capturing the road surface with a small wide-angle camera while walking is sufficient for recording subtle 3D undulations in the road surface. The method used for capturing data and the precision of the 3D restoration results are described.

The proposed approach demonstrates the significant benefits of creating a digital twin of walking space using photogrammetry as a cost-effective means of balancing the acquisition of 3D data that is sufficiently accurate to show the detailed geometric features needed to navigate a walking space safely. Further, the findings showed how information can be provided directly to users through two-dimensional (2D) and 3D Web-based visualizations.

Purpose – This chapter first provides the motivation for writing this book. It then describes the challenges involved with assessing societal safety through the analysis of transport system crashes. It concludes with a summary of the contents of the remainder of the book, identifying how various dimensions of the transport system challenges are addressed.

Methodology/Approach – This chapter discusses important real-world and methodological challenges that practitioners, academics and researchers face in making a more sustainable highway system through a reduction in the number and severity of transport network crashes resulting in fatalities, injuries and property damage.

Findings – The chapter first describes important challenges, such as complexity of the driving task, the challenges of engineering transport systems for humans, unanticipated effects that arise from differences between driver safety and security, the co-mingling of mobility modes of travel, and challenges in evaluating road safety. The chapters are separated into five general themes: driver behaviour, the transportation network, vulnerable road users, methods for understanding and predicting safety performance, and methods for evaluating safety impacts of countermeasures.

Practical Implications – Comprehending the challenges associated with road crashes is a first step in making the roadway system more sustainable. This book provides a broad and understandable description of these challenges and how they can be overcome by academics and practitioners working in transport network safety management.

Originality – This book presents a clear understanding and offers insights about the challenges and potential solutions that can be brought to bear to make a more sustainable and safe transport system, whether it is located in an urban or rural area, and for a wide variety of functional classifications and designs. The topics covered in this book are intended to be useful and applied to tackle transport system management anywhere in the world.

Purpose – Urban and suburban arterials carry a large share of urban traffic and contend with a relatively large proportion of transport network crashes. Road crashes and their consequent societal costs diminish the sustainability of transportation systems, highlighting the need to identify road safety problems and their corresponding solutions. This chapter briefly outlines problems and solutions associated with crash risk on urban and suburban arterials. In addition, this chapter studies and discusses several safety countermeasures – ranging from local treatments to integral frameworks – and their effectiveness on improving traffic safety of urban and suburban arterials.

Approach – Crash occurrence on urban and suburban arterials is affected by numerous contributing factors. This chapter pays attention primarily to the effects of traffic characteristics and road design features. In this regard, several pertinent variables which have been extensively examined in the literature are reviewed and their contributions to the safety of urban and suburban arterials are discussed.

Findings – A review of the literature identifies a number of variables as influential factors of crashes on urban and suburban arterials. Although the associations of some variables (e.g., traffic volume) are consistent with expectations, others (e.g., lane width and speed) show mixed and sometimes counterintuitive results. These findings signify that additional research is needed to reveal the correct functional form and magnitude of these relationships.

Practical implications – The results show that while the general direction and magnitude of effects of some engineering and management-related treatments are known, additional research is needed to consolidate the impact and effectiveness of integrated approaches.

Changes in physiology associated with ageing mean increased concern for the safety of older drivers and the risk they may pose on other road users. The risk of older drivers is distorted by their fragility; they are more likely to be injured or die in road collisions compared to a younger person. Older drivers are, overall, safe drivers who pose similar risks to other road users as middle-aged drivers, but who are at risk themselves because of their fragility. The fragility is greater in older females than older men; females over the age of 80 are nine times more likely to die from their injuries compared to 40–49-year old females, while men are at least five times more likely. Older drivers are overrepresented in collisions at junctions that have no formal traffic control and underrepresented in crashes that involve excess speed. While it is not possible to put traffic signals in every junction, it is suggested consideration be given to mini roundabouts or three-way stop-sign junctions (as found in United States and South Africa). There is no evidence that stringent testing for licence renewal has advantages in reducing older driver risk. Assessments at specialist centres, such as mobility assessment centres, are a more effective way to pick up drivers who are no longer safe to drive.