Pedestrian Signal Safety - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

the countdown at the end of the FDW. Another 3 percent indicated that they started the
countdown timer at the beginning of the FDW and ended during the steady DW. Taken together,
approximately two of three respondents followed the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(MUTCD) guidance; one-third of the respondents were not operating their PCD signals in
accordance with MUTCD.
Criteria Used to Identify Where Pedestrian Countdown Signals Should Be Installed
Most jurisdictions reported selectively installing PCD signals. Criteria used by a number of the
respondent organizations to consider the installation of PCD signals included:
• Specific areas including:
o school zones;
o downtowns or urban areas;
o pedestrian access routes or proximity to pedestrian activity centers; and
o proximity to transit stops or subway stations.
• Specific characteristics of pedestrians including:
o number of senior citizens;
o number of very young pedestrians;
o high pedestrian and/or bicycle volumes;
o inexperienced users;
o ethnic diversity; and
o high pedestrian pushbutton usage.
• Specific characteristics of intersection or roadway operations including:
o pedestrian crash history;
o use where right-turning and left-turning volumes that conflict with the crosswalk are
greater than 400 vehicles per hour;
o use where there are long crosswalk distances (for example, Monroe County, New York,
developed a threshold of at least a 60-ft. crossing distance to implement a PCD signal);
and
o any crosswalk requiring a clearance interval of more than 15 sec.
• The following circumstances may justify the use of a PCD signal even if the
interval is less than 15 sec.: 1) high pedestrian volume; 2) high levels of vehicular
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