Assessment of the Dynamic Behavior of a Bus Crossing a Raised Crosswalk for Road and Pedestrian Safety

This paper analyzes the dynamic behavior of a passenger bus running on a raised crosswalk. The main objective was to evaluate the vertical displacements and accelerations caused by the change in elevation, and to determine the potential for suspension damage. The study involved a numerical approach to the examination of a vehicle’s displacement related to the profile pavement by the implementation of a single body finite element module with suspension subjected to the effect of road unevenness. The so-obtained dynamic behavior with this model was implemented in MATLAB software, and the results were compared with the corresponding real-world accident data record and with an experimental study carried out with a bus running on a raised crosswalk at prescribed velocities. The velocity on the day of the accident was then calculated by computational simulations using the software PC-Crash®. The results show that the vertical displacement caused by the raised crosswalk can vary according to the bus velocity and the raised crosswalk height. Moreover, the results show that reducing the height of the raised crosswalk and redesigning it for a smoother transition with the pavement can help in minimizing the negative effects from impacts on the bus body. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for engineers and transportation planners, and can be used to improve the design and placement of raised crosswalks in the future.