Addressing the conditions of traffic hazard

Call for papers

Addressing the conditions of traffic hazard

Journal
Journal of Transport and Sustainability

Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing

Submission Deadline
31 May 2026

About this Special Issue
Vision Zero has existed for many years, yet its practical application remains a challenge in many cities and regions. The way we think about traffic danger is still largely shaped by protecting high‑speed mobility rather than prioritizing safety and human life. This special issue calls for a paradigm shift in how traffic hazard is understood, measured, and managed in the context of sustainable transport and urban development.

Traffic hazard refers to the potential for harm caused by the transmission of kinetic energy in road environments. This hazard can limit people’s mobility choices, especially for walking and cycling, which in turn reduces access to public transport and undermines broader sustainability goals. The special issue invites research that examines the sources of traffic hazard, its social and spatial impacts, and how it can be minimized through policy, design, and practice.

Contributions are welcome from both transportation and public‑health perspectives, including empirical, conceptual, and practice‑oriented studies that connect traffic hazard with sustainable, equitable, and safe mobility.

Scope & Theme Areas
Submissions are invited on, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Traffic hazard and traffic danger

  • Conceptual and empirical studies on the nature, sources, and dynamics of traffic hazard.

  • How traffic hazard differs from traditional crash‑statistics‑based safety approaches.

• Community severance and social impacts

  • How high‑risk environments and high‑speed traffic divide communities and reduce social cohesion.

  • The impact of traffic hazard on access to services, education, and employment.

• Independent travel and mobility autonomy

  • How traffic hazard affects children, older adults, persons with disabilities, and low‑income groups in their ability to travel independently.

  • The relationship between fear of traffic and reduced walking and cycling.

• Street design and urban design

  • How street geometry, speed limits, road‑space allocation, and design treatments influence traffic hazard.

  • Safe‑system and Vision‑Zero‑inspired street and urban design interventions.

• Policy, practice, and safe systems

  • Application of traffic hazard thinking in local, regional, and national transport policies.

  • Integrating public‑health and safe‑systems approaches into planning and evaluation.

• Exposure measures and risk assessment

  • How different measures of exposure (e.g., travel activity, route choice, land use) can better inform policy and practice.

  • Data and methods for systematically evaluating the potential for harm, not just crash outcomes.

Guest Editors

• Owen Waygood, Polytechnique Montréal, Canada

• Eric Dumbaugh, Florida Atlantic University, USA

• Seth LaJeunesse, Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Key Dates

Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts must be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts using the Journal of Transport and Sustainability submission portal.

• During submission, please select the special issue title “Addressing the conditions of traffic hazard” from the dropdown menu under “Please select the issue you are submitting to.”

• Articles must be original, not previously published, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

• Authors must strictly follow the author guidelines of the Journal of Transport and Sustainability, available on the journal’s Emerald page.

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