Pedestrian Signal Safety - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

For younger pedestrians, the mean walking speed (MWS) was 5.30 feet/second (ft./sec.) at traditional
intersections and at intersections equipped with PCD signals. As presented in Table E-3, there was
no significant difference in the walking speeds for younger pedestrians at traditional and PCD signals.
The median walking speed was 5.20 ft./sec. at traditional intersections and at countdown signals.
The 15th-percentile walking speed represents the slower pedestrians at the intersection. The 15thpercentile
speed was 4.60 ft./sec. at traditional signals and at countdown signals. A walking speed
of 4.00 ft./sec. would accommodate the 15th-percentile younger pedestrian at any of these four
intersections.
For older pedestrians, MWS at PCD signals was 4.20 ft./sec., slightly slower than the MWS of 4.50
ft./sec. at TPS. As presented in Table E-3, this difference was significant at a 95-percent confidence
level. The median walking speed was slower at the countdown signal crossings (4.20 ft./sec.) than at
traditional signal crossings (4.40 ft./sec.). The 15th-percentile speed also was slightly slower at PCD
signals (3.50 ft./sec.) compared to TPS (3.60 ft./sec.).
A walking speed of 3.50 ft./sec. would accommodate 15th-percentile older pedestrians at the
traditional and countdown intersections based on their combined 15th-percentile speed. At the PCD
intersections, the major approach of both intersections had a 15th-percentile walking speed below
3.50 ft./sec.
Table E-3. Significance testing of difference in mean waking speed at traditional and pedestrian
countdown signals for two age groups.
Subjects Intersections Mean
Pedestrians
under 65
Standard
deviation
Traditional 5.32 0.93
Countdown 5.25 0.75
Pedestrians Traditional 4.45 0.85
65 and older
Countdown 4.22 0.79
Tcalc
1.057
2.342
Outcome
The difference between
means is not
significant at 95
percent.
The difference between
means is significant at
95 percent.
Table E-4 presents the results of significance testing of the difference in MWS for younger
pedestrians and older pedestrians. As would be expected, the walking speed for older pedestrians
was significantly slower than the walking speed for younger pedestrians, regardless of the type of
pedestrian signal.
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