Pedestrian Behavior at Signalized Intersection Crosswalks

An Observational Study of Factors Associated with Distracted Walking, Pedestrian Violations, and Walking Speed

In the past two decades, cellular phone and smartphone use in the United States has increased substantially. While mobile phones provide a convenient way for people to communicate, the distraction caused by the use of these devices has led to unintended traffic safety and operational consequences. Although it is well-recognized that distracted driving is extremely dangerous for all road users (including pedestrians), the potential impacts of distracted walking have not been as comprehensively studied. While practitioners should design facilities with the safety, efficiency, and comfort of pedestrians in mind, it’s still important to investigate certain pedestrian behaviors at existing facilities in order to minimize the risk of pedestrian-vehicle crashes, and to reduce behaviors that may unnecessarily increase delay at signalized intersections. In order to gain new insights into factors associated with distracted walking, pedestrian violations, and walking speed, a total of 3,038 pedestrians were observed across four signalized intersections in New York and Arizona using high definition video cameras. The video data were reduced and summarized, and an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model was estimated to analyze factors affecting walking speeds, while binary logit models were estimated to analyze both pedestrian distraction and pedestrian violations. Ultimately, several site- and pedestrian-specific variables were found to be significantly associated with pedestrian distraction, violation behavior, and walking speeds. The results provide important information for researchers, practitioners, and legislators, and may be useful in planning strategies to reduce or mitigate the impacts of pedestrian behavior that may be considered unsafe or potentially inefficient.

Citation

Russo, B.J., James, E., Aguilar, C.Y., and E. Smaglik, “Pedestrian Behavior at Signalized Intersection Crosswalks: An Observational Study of Factors Associated with Distracted Walking, Pedestrian Violations, and Walking Speed”, Accepted for publication in Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2018.