Pedestrian Signal Safety - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

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DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGY
Pedestrian Behavior Data
Data were collected in the Twin Cities during the week of October 11, 2004. At each intersection,
Portable Archival Traffic History (PATH) cameras were deployed for one full day of recording for
one minor leg and one major leg. PATH systems record pedestrian activity at the intersection
without interfering with pedestrians. At the Groveland Avenue and Lyndale Avenue intersection in
Minneapolis, only the major leg was equipped with a PATH camera system because it was the only
leg with a PCD signal.
During the week of October 11, the Twin Cities experienced cool temperatures and intermittent rain.
This greatly reduced pedestrian activity at the study intersections. At all but two approaches, the
project team was not able to collect a desirable sample size of older pedestrians.
Surveys
The project team developed a brief survey to be administered to pedestrians at the study
intersections. The purpose of the survey was to gauge pedestrian understanding and preference for
PCD signals and traditional pedestrian signals (TPS).
Survey administration took approximately 1 minute. Surveys were administered at the two PCD study
intersections to pedestrians who had completed their crossing at the intersections. The targets of the
survey were pedestrians over 18 years of age.
The survey response was much lower than anticipated, particularly for older pedestrians.
Approximately 75 percent of older pedestrians who were approached regarding the survey declined
to participate. This was similar to the findings in White Plains, New York.
RESULTS
Walking Speeds
The walking speeds of 896 pedestrians were observed at the four intersections. This included 101
pedestrians estimated to be 65 or older based on visual observations. Pedestrian walking speeds
were measured from when they left the curb to when they returned to the curb on the other side of
the street. Pedestrians who left the influence area of the crosswalk (within 2 to 3 feet of the edge
of the crosswalk) during their crossing were not included in the analysis. The mean (average),
50th-percentile (median), and 15th-percentile walking speeds were calculated for both groups of
pedestrians. These values are presented in Table D-2 individually for each intersection’s minor and
major approach. The mean, median, and 15th percentile also are represented collectively for all four
traditional crossings and all three PCD crossings.