Abstract
The Swedish Vision Zero’s goal is to eliminate all fatalities and incapacitating traffic injuries. One step toward Vision Zero is through traffic calming. Code changes are also part of this effort. The Swedish Code concerning car drivers’ responsibility to give way to pedestrians was strengthened in 2000. A study was done to evaluate the short-term effects of the change in the code, as well as of the reconstruction of urban intersections to eliminate overtaking and speeding over 30 km/h. The focus of the evaluation was on children and elderly people, as pedestrians and cyclists. Between 1995 and 1999, an average of 7 pedestrians were killed and about 60 seriously injured at unsignalized zebra crossings. In 2001, those numbers were 8 and 70, respectively, despite the fact that some crosswalks were eliminated in connection with the change of the code. The conclusion is that the change of code has not improved safety. Field studies in Malmö in regard to behavior, speed, and conflicts, as well as analysis of crash data, show that the code change has increased mobility for cyclists, whereas motor vehicle speeds did not change significantly. The reconstruction increased mobility further and, at least based on indirect measures, improved safety. Also, safe traffic behavior, expressed as one’s looking sideways, increased somewhat at the reconstructed intersections, but stopping at the curb before crossing the street decreased. Children and the elderly did not benefit more than people in other age groups.
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