Empirical analysis of pedestrian delay models at urban intersections

Abstract

Signalized crosswalks are useful pedestrian facilities but complexities in geometry and configuration arise, especially in congested urban areas, directly affecting safety, cycle length and delay. Universal design criteria are not dealt with by manuals. Scientific literature has proven that pedestrians look for the shortest path at crosswalks, sometimes even adopting unsafe behaviour. On the other hand, drivers’ habits are scarcely bothered by pedestrian signage. The analysis of pedestrians’ cognitive path and choices is fundamental as well as the prediction of irresponsible actions. Delay is a widely adopted parameter to assess pedestrian Level of Service. In this work, a comparison among renowned models to estimate pedestrian delay at signalized crosswalk is set and double-checked with a field study in the city of Bologna – Italy.