Crosswalks are vital links in a city’s pedestrian network. They provide a right-of-way for pedestrians and separate them from vehicular traffic to reduce conflicts. However, pedestrians must often compete for space with other road users. On a microlevel, an understanding of pedestrian behavior on the basis of use patterns is an important tool for transportation professionals as they identify improvement measures and best practices for the best design of pedestrian facilities. A study on the crossing behavior of pedestrians at signalized intersections was undertaken at five locations in New York City. The areas of focus were (a) pedestrian reaction times and (b) the effect of pedestrian characteristics and walking environments on walking speed. Reaction times were studied for two pedestrian groups: (a) those who waited on the sidewalk and (b) those who waited in the crosswalk. Hypothesis testing revealed no significant difference between these two pedestrian groups. The study found that a high percentage of pedestrians had a reaction time of less than 3 s, which was the same as cited in previous studies and referenced in the Highway Capacity Manual. The effect of pedestrian walking speed on seven pedestrian characteristics (i.e., gender, location, pedestrian arrival, pedestrian position at the beginning of the walk, time of day, baggage handling, and walking in groups) was also examined. Of the factors analyzed, analysis of variance tests revealed statistical significance for four factors: gender, pedestrian arrival, time of day, and walking alone versus walking in groups.


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    Title :

    Pedestrians, 2015. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2519


    Publication date :

    2015


    Size :

    202 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English