Assessing unsignalised pedestrian crossings

Abstract

The lack of pedestrian safety on crossings is a complex problem and one that is influenced by a number of factors such as the law, road traffic culture, the road and traffic. This paper will focus on the last two by presenting a method for assessing pedestrian crossings for their geometry and roadside using data from 930 pedestrian crossings in Warsaw. The authors of this paper have attempted to systematise the process of assessment of the existing crossings safety. It should be noted that the actions taken in the field of safety assessments were carried out consecutively with a team of lighting experts whose task was to assess the impact of lighting elements on the level of pedestrian safety. The paper will describe the successive steps of the method: detailed safety inspection of crossings, identification of pedestrian hazards, including an assessment of the required sight distance in relation to actual vehicle speeds and safety improvement recommendations. Because not all data were available during the site inspection and seemed to be necessary for the assessment, efforts were made to obtain information about the road traffic volume (from a Warsaw transport model) and the traffic volume of pedestrians and cyclists by age group (own measurements conducted). In addition, the method of required visibility was developed by the authors, taking into account the position of a pedestrian at a distance of 1m from the edge of the road at drivers’ speed of V85. The authors will present the preliminary results of work on modelling the effects of selected road and traffic parameters on road safety. The authors will also present the results of analyses looking at the methodology of systematic studies of pedestrian behaviour and the pedestrian-driver relation for 70 locations: cities, small towns and outside built-up areas. The effect of the location of the measurement cross-section, type of cross-section and other selected parameters on driver and pedestrian behaviour at and around pedestrian crossings is demonstrated. Driver behaviour was analysed for pedestrians approaching the crossing, waiting at the edge of the road and in the absence of a pedestrian near the crossing.