A transit stop is located in the middle of a block, directly across the road from a commercial shopping center, with no marked crossing. Which traffic safety outcome is most likely?

• A. The road segment experiences more vehicle speeding
• B. Pedestrian crashes are unaffected
• C. The road segment has higher-than-expected pedestrian crashes
• D. Bicycle crashes dominate

Answer: (C)

When pedestrians face greater exposure and unprotected crossing opportunities, the risk of crashes rises. Here, a transit stop sits in the middle of a block directly across from a commercial shopping center, with no marked crossing. That setup increases the number of pedestrians who must cross the road at locations without a crosswalk or traffic signals. Drivers may not anticipate pedestrians crossing midblock, and pedestrians have to cover a longer, less visible crossing with fewer safeguards. With more people crossing to reach the shopping center or to board/alight from buses, the likelihood of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts—and thus higher-than-expected pedestrian crashes on that road segment—increases. The other options don’t fit as well because this situation is centered on pedestrian exposure and midblock crossing risk rather than speeding, an unchanged pedestrian crash rate, or a dominance of bicycle crashes.