Street Environment

The street environment, which includes the design and use of roads, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, intersection density and placement, and landscaping, has been the primary focus of SRTS interventions and, like the urban environment, contains characteristics that may support or hinder ATS adoption.

Parental safety concerns associated with traffic are significant barriers to ATS (Jacob et al. 2021,  Kweon et al. 2023, Lu et al. 2014, Nikitas et al. 2019, O'Keefe 2019, Stewert et al. 2012, Zhou et al. 2010,) and children echo safety concerns associated with traffic are barriers to ATS (Kweon et al. 2023, Lu et al. 2014). Crash data may not provide sufficient details about perceptions of street safety (Stewert et al. 2012) and streets with low crash levels may have suppressed levels of ATS because they are perceived as unsafe (Ferenchak & Marshall 2019). This is echoed by recommendations that infrastructure interventions should be made in places with researched traffic safety issues, not merely perceived traffic safety issues (Stewert et al. 2012). Higher traffic volumes (Kweon et al. 2023, Zhou et al. 2010) and higher traffic speeds (Zhou et al. 2010) on streets are associated with lower rates of ATS.

Bike and pedestrian infrastructure, particularly sidewalks and bike lanes increase ATS (Lucken et al. 2018, McDonald et al. 2010) and their absence decreases ATS (Ferenchak & Marshall 2019, Kweon et al. 2023, Stewert et al. 2012). Presence of trees along ATS routes was associated with higher participation (Stewert et al. 2012) and improved perceptions of both traffic and neighborhood safety (Chillón et al. 2011, Ganzar 2023). Some researchers are careful to note that infrastructure interventions alone are not sufficient to increase ATS (Kang & Diao 2022, McDonald et al. 2010). 

Intersection density has a wide variety of effects on ATS and may require more research to build a solid case. Presence of a street grid is generally favorable for ATS (Kweon et al. 2023, Stewert et al. 2012,) but fewer intersections are associated with higher biking but lower levels of walking (Kweon et al. 2023). Other evidence finds that all ATS is improved by fewer intersections (Ross et al. 2020). The question of intersection density having both positive and negative impacts may be explained by the presence of dangerous or unmarked/unlighted intersections, which is identified as a barrier to all ATS (Kweon et al. 2023, Stewert et al. 2012, Zhou et al. 2010).