Hello gaura,
Yes, there are studies addressing these issues. It just took me
awhile to find some of them.
There are plenty of studies demonstrating that increased traffic
increases traffic accidents. These accidents are not confined to just
cars, they includes accidents with pedestrians. More traffic along
your street is likely to coincide with a very real increase in traffic
danger to anyone on the street (Abdel-Aty and Radwan, 2000; FRIDSTROM,
et al, 1995; Dickerson, Peirson, & Vickerman, 2000).
It has also been shown that neighborhoods that are in proximity to
common areas, such as shopping malls, are more likely to experience
“daytime crimes” such as outdoor theft (The Business Journal
Portland). This suggests that living close to areas where strangers
congregate can increase your vulnerability to crime. One study showed
that ‘neighborhood disorganization” increases the likelihood of
burglary in your neighborhood (DEFRANCES & TITUS, 1993). This term
referred to such factors as neighbors not knowing neighbors and high
turnover in the population. Essentially, if you neighborhood has a
lot of strange faces, and residents don’t know whether or not they
belong, crime rises.
There have also been several studies that actually looked at crime and
traffic through neighborhoods. These were studies comparing low
traffic neighborhoods to high traffic neighborhoods. They were not
studies of a neighborhood experiencing increased traffic. However,
these studies found that there was less crime on less traveled
streets. More accessible streets experience higher rates of burglary,
and property crime increases with increased street accessibility. The
level of burglary is significantly related to traffic accessibility to
an area (Lab, 1997). Stores on high-traffic streets and not
surrounded by commercial establishments have been shown to be more
vulnerable to crime (Duffala 1976; Jeffery et al., 1987; Buck et al,
1993). All of these studies show that streets and areas that are
easily accessible to auto traffic tend to experience higher levels of
crime
All of the studies that I saw addressed property crime. I did not see
any references to violent crimes except the following case. This
story is more serious than yours, as it involves a casino entering a
neighborhood. A casino is a business that is likelier to attract bad
elements than is a decoration display. But, I thought you would be
interested in the statistics.
Casino Impact on the Town of Ledyard, CT (FOXWOODS RESORT & CASINO)
http://www.tribalnation.com/Ledyard.html
There is the story of the casino which opened in Ledyard, CT in 1993.
The significant increase in traffic to the town has increased demand
public safety, traffic control street maintenance, emergency services,
social services and government administration. Crime rate have
escalated leading.
Between 1990 and 1998, the crime rate in Ledyard went up by 300%.
There was also approximately a 200% increase in traffic volumes on
state highways from 1988 to 1996. There has been a 10% increase in
just one year in the number of serious crimes.
As and aside, while I did not see studies that addressed violent
crimes and traffic, while searching I noticed that all of the advice
for ‘neighborhood safety” campaigns suggested you know your neighbors
and you be aware when there are strangers around. This suggests to me
that inviting random strangers into your neighborhood is exactly what
these safety campaigns are fighting against. But, I didn’t see any
direct evidence addressing this.
I hope this is what you were looking for. And good luck.
pba
References:
“Modeling traffic accident occurrence and involvement,” by MA
Abdel-Aty and AE Radwan. ACCIDENT ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION, (32 (5):
633-642 SEP 2000).
“BURGLAR ALARMS AND THE CHOICE BEHAVIOR OF BURGLARS - A SUBURBAN
PHENOMENON,” by AJ BUCK, S HAKIM, and GF RENGERT. JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL
JUSTICE, (21 (5): 497-507 1993).
The Business Journal Portland
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2001/07/30/focus6.html
“URBAN-PLANNING AND RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY OUTCOMES,” by CJ DEFRANCES
and RM TITUS. LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING, (26 (1-4): 179-191 OCT
1993).
“Road accidents and traffic flows: An econometric investigation,” by A
Dickerson, J Peirson, and R Vickerman. ECONOMICA, (67 (265): 101-121
FEB 2000).
“CONVENIENCE STORES, ARMED ROBBERY, AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTAL
FEATURES,” by DC DUFFALA. AMERICAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST (20 (2):
227-246 1976).
“MEASURING THE CONTRIBUTION OF RANDOMNESS, EXPOSURE, WEATHER, AND
DAYLIGHT TO THE VARIATION IN ROAD ACCIDENT COUNTS,” by L FRIDSTROM, J
IFVER, S INGEBRIGTSEN, R KULMALA, and LK THOMSEN. ACCIDENT ANALYSIS
AND PREVENTION, (27 (1): 1-20 FEB 1995).
“CRIME AND HUMAN-NATURE,” by CR JEFFERY, JQ WILSON, and RJ HERRNSTEIN.
CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY, (32 (4): 310-313 APR 1987).
Crime Prevention Approaches, Practice and Evaluations: Third Edition,
by Steven P. Lab. Bowling Green State University, Anderson Publishing
Co (1997).
http://www.securitymanagement.com/library/000484.html
Keywords Used:
increased traffic crime
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crime "neighborhood safety"
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stranger safety OR crime "traffic "
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