Transportation Safety Around the Sonoma State Campus

Students: Bridgette Neeley, Zoe Boslet, Copper Morse

Faculty Mentor: Kevin Fang

Geography, Environment & Planning

College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts

Transportation safety has been a worsening problem in the U.S. in recent years, with traffic fatalities increasing to over 40,000 deaths per year. Transportation safety is also a challenge locally as well. In a four-consecutive-year period from 2018–2021, at least one Sonoma State student was killed in a traffic crash each year, including one student who died crossing East Cotati Avenue. In this research, we look at three aspects of transportation safety in the vicinity of campus. First, we looked at the characteristics of crashes on nearby roads using data from the Sonoma County Vision Zero Dashboard. Second, we looked at crossings of East Cotati Avenue between campus and Wolf Den Plaza. Finally, we looked at pedestrian issues in the South Entry to the campus at Vine Road.