Pedestrian Signal Safety - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

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Figure 1. Example of a pedestrian countdown signal.
WHY IS PEDESTRIAN WALKING SPEED SO IMPORTANT FROM AN OLDER
PERSON’S PERSPECTIVE?
The Web site www.walkinginfo.org features an article entitled “The Design Needs of Senior
Pedestrians,” by Rebecca Johnson, which states: “Even the smallest design and engineering
improvements can make a big difference… and for senior pedestrians… they can mean the difference
between walking safely and confidently across the street—or waiting in traffic.” (Pedestrian and
Bicycle Information Center)
The walking speed set for signal operations is by far one of the most important design and operational
parameters that can affect pedestrian-vehicular conflicts, pedestrian safety, and crashes at signalized
intersections. All pedestrians and, in particular, those who are older or mobility-impaired, need to be
provided with adequate time to cross the street safely and need to know that they have sufficient time
to cross.
The current study and many previous studies suggest that there is at least a 0.70-ft./sec. walking
speed difference between older and younger persons.
Figure 2 illustrates how important establishing adequate signal timing for pedestrians can be. This
figure shows a 70-ft. street crossing from point A to point B. Given that older and younger pedestrians
walk at different speeds, where will the older pedestrian be when his/her younger counterpart reaches
the far curb?
Assuming that the younger pedestrian walks at 4.00 ft./sec. (the speed prescribed by the current
edition of MUTCD) and the older pedestrian walks 0.70 ft./sec. slower, the older pedestrian would
have more than 12 feet to walk—or another whole lane to cross—when the younger pedestrian had
successfully crossed the street.