Dumbaugh, grad student note that strip
malls, ‘big box’ stores raise wreck rates

Urban planning researchers at Texas A&M discovered a notable difference in motorists’ safety around strip malls as compared to “main street” type developments.

“We found urban arterials, arterial-oriented commercial developments, and big box stores to be associated with increased incidences of traffic-related crashes and injuries, while higher-density communities with more traditional, pedestrian-scaled retail configurations were associated with fewer crashes,” wrote Eric Dumbaugh, assistant professor of urban planning at Texas A&M, and Robert Rae, a former student who now works as an analyst with Kimley-Horn and Associates.

Writing for The City Fix, a website focusing on sustainable urban mobility, Erica Schlaikjer quoted Dumbaugh and Rae’s conclusion that more management of mobility and access of urban arterials, relocation of retail outlets to lower-speed thoroughfares, and better land use planning can address the problem.

Schlaikjer’s article about the research, conducted over a three-year period in San Antonio, is available at http://thecityfix.com

- Posted: Sept. 21, 2009 -