This project is designed to answer the question:
What are the best and worst areas to drive or park a car in Vancouver?
As the main western terminus of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is the primary city of western Canada, as well as one of the nation's largest industrial centers. A typical North American city, Vancouver flourished as a result of the invention of the automobile and grew from a robust road network and the building of suburbs through the 20 th century. As both population and business grow, transportation becomes more important. One component of transportation, private transportation, remains a large part of how commuters get from place to place. Automobile numbers continue to rise and with these come problems of accidents, congestion and motor-vehicle thefts.
So how can we determine the best and worst areas to have a car in Vancouver? This question will be answered using the following factors:
Factor 1: Areas near public transit: Areas in vicinity of public transit greatly favor those commuters without a motor vehicle. However, to drivers on the road, areas of high public transit mean increased pedestrian activity and an increased risk of hitting an unseen pedestrian. In the case of bus-stops, the situation is made worse with buses constantly stopping to pick up passengers. Their large size makes it difficult for cars to maneuver around them and decreases visibility of pedestrians and other vehicles on the road.
Factor 2: Areas with high numbers of motor vehicle thefts: This criterion is fairly self-explanatory. Motor vehicle related crime, including break-ins and thefts, are costly to insurance companies and vehicle owners. Even if insurance completely covers the theft or break-in, the incident causes a great deal of inconvenience for the owner of the vehicle.
Factor 3: Areas near parks (children, trees blocking visibility):Roads that are located near parks usually have a higher number of children and animals in the area. Children, in general, are more likely to run across a street without looking, especially if chasing after balls or animals. Animals such as cats, dogs and squirrels tend to dart across roads or may have the “deer caught in the headlights” effect, standing in front of a vehicle paralyzed with confusion. Parks are not always open fields and usually have trees dispersed throughout the area. Trees near roads will shed leaves, blossoms and needles causing decreased traction on the road surface. Furthermore, the presence of trees leads to decreased visibility and darker driving conditions.
Factor 4: Areas with high vehicle collisions: This criterion may or may not be a result of the above factors. High vehicle collisions may be a result of slope, the presence of public transit, or parks. Collisions may purely be a result of a popular, high-speed route with increased congestion. This criterion has a large number of confounding factors.
On to Data Acquisition