Pedestrian Signal Safety - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

• Give third priority to signalized intersections that feature regular pedestrian activity.
• Consider a policy that incorporates countdown pedestrian indicators and pedestrian indicators
into all new traffic signals (Cottrell and Sichun).
PEDESTRIAN BEHAVIOR FINDINGS
Mean Walking Speed
Detailed results for each jurisdiction are presented in Appendices C through H, including approach
level results. The results reported in the appendices include the mean, median, and 15th-percentile
speeds. This section presents the results of the mean walking speed (MWS) and 15th-percentile
walking speed in each jurisdiction.
Table 5 presents the walking speeds of younger pedestrians for each jurisdiction. Table 6 presents
the walking speeds of older pedestrians for each jurisdiction. The tables present the combined MWS
at both the traditional and the PCD-equipped intersections in each jurisdiction, the sample size
collected, the difference in MWS (in ft./sec.) between traditional and PCD signals, and the results of
the significance testing of the difference in MWS between intersections with TPS and intersections
with PCD signals within each jurisdiction.
The results indicate:
• For younger pedestrians, MWS ranged from 4.80 ft./sec. to 5.30 ft./sec. at traditional signals
and from 5.00 ft./sec. to 5.30 ft./sec. at countdown signals. Younger people walked faster
or about the same at countdown signals. The slightly faster walking speeds observed at
the countdown signal intersection may indicate that the countdown indication encouraged
pedestrians to walk faster. Note that when a countdown signal is designed to conform with the
current version of MUTCD, pedestrians who complete their crossing maneuvers during the
WALK indication will not see the countdown display, so their behavior should not be affected
by the fact that the signal in question is a countdown signal. However, in this study, crossing
distances at most intersections were long enough that pedestrians would have seen the
countdown display while crossing.
• For younger pedestrians in three of the jurisdictions, MWS at countdown signals was faster
than at traditional signals. In the remaining study jurisdictions, MWS was faster in one
jurisdiction at TPS as compared to countdown signals, and MWS was equal at traditional
and PCD signals in two jurisdictions. This finding is significant and was based on 95-percent
confidence testing.
• For older pedestrians, MWS ranged from 3.98 ft./sec. to 4.60 ft./sec. at traditional signals
and from 4.20 ft./sec. to 4.80 ft./sec. at countdown signals. (Older people walked faster at
countdown signals.)
• While there were three locations where MWS was slower for the older group, the three
locations with faster mean speeds for the older group had statistically significant differences.
This table reports statistical differences but does not provide practical differences. Note that
although the difference in walking speeds of 0.10 ft./sec. in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
was statistically significant at 95-percent confidence, this difference may or may not be of
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