Analysis of Spontaneous Order of Pedestrian–Vehicle Conflicts at Signalized Intersections

Abstract

Unsafe interactions among road users are often seen on the urban networks of India. The conventional transportation planning method deals with this problem by segregating different modes to minimize intermodal conflicts. However, another school of thought recommends that spaces should be designed to ensure minimum segregation between road users by removing physical barriers and eliminating rules. Once the rules are lifted, road users become attentive to their surroundings, and therefore spontaneous order emerges. The main objective of this study is to explore the yielding behavior of road users during conflicts and analyze the spontaneous order developed at intersections. Traffic data was collected from 12 signalized intersections in India. A total of 1,785 conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles were observed during peak hours at the intersection locations. The modal dominance was examined for whether a pedestrian yields to a vehicle or vice versa. Two multiple linear regression models were developed to analyze the effect of various factors (speed and volume of pedestrians and vehicles, and size of intersection) on the number of conflicts and the proximity of conflicts. The dominance of pedestrians and vehicles was predicted with the help of the binary logit model. The model results suggested that vehicle volume, type of vehicle, noncompliance with signals by pedestrians, number of pedestrians crossing in a group, type of pedestrian–vehicle interaction, and size of intersection are some of the major factors that are significant predictors of the dominance of road users.