A TALE OF TWO CITIES - SOME EMPIRICAL EVIDENCES OF HOW THE URBAN AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING INFLUENCES ACCIDENTS AT INTERSECTIONS

The aim of this paper is to make an analysis of traffic accidents occurrence at intersections regarding the urban and transport planning. To accomplish this objective, a case study was used comparing two cities, Lund, Sweden and Sao Carlos, Brazil. The cities have some similarities: they are moderate city with high tech industrial sites and universities. The main divergences are the urban form and the transport system. The comparison of Lund and Sao Carlos highlights the high mean of accidents, variance and systematic variation found at intersection in the second city. This large amount of systematic variation in Sao Carlos indicates that accidents are not occurring only by chance, but due the urbanization form and transportation planning. Congestion, degradation of environment, road accidents and security are endemic in developing countries cities. These problems are not only a question of funding projects to improve the situation, but the weaker policy, institutional context, and the lack of empowerment.