A field evaluation of an in-ground lighting intervention for safety at a road crossing

Abstract

There are limited numbers of naturalistic studies of behaviours in response to safety interventions, such as novel lighting products at road crossings. The study used a theory-based approach to evaluate behavioural responses to a novel, ground-mounted lighting intervention at a zebra crossing at a university campus. An evaluation framework was developed to explore the extent to which the intervention was implemented in practice and collect a range of data types to assess the outcomes and impacts of the lighting intervention, in terms of the responses and behaviours of crossing users.The study was primarily observational, collecting and analysing video recordings of the road crossing episodes for people alone or in small groups (n = 269). This was supported by a small consultation exercise to help understand user-perceptions, achieved through an online questionnaire of crossing users (n = 59).The observations contributed to understanding crossing behaviours in this location, generally demonstrating safe crossing behaviours, such as looking for traffic and walking within the marked crossing features. There was no observable indication of users noticing or responding overtly to the lighting. However, 29% of the small sample responding to the questionnaire stated that the lights had influenced the way that they used the crossing. The survey responses indicated that users understood the intention of the lighting and cited positive attributes and perceived benefits, which may improve behaviours and safety for both pedestrians and drivers. It is concluded that the lighting intervention has the potential to improve safety-related behaviours at crossings, but further investigation of its efficacy would be recommended.Guidance is provided on how to respond to various methodological and situational challenges that have been encountered in this study, such as how to improve observational data collection for field studies in this type of context. Future development of the intervention might involve sensor-based activation and variation in the lighting (e.g., differing flash rates and colours).