Evaluation of human behaviour at pedestrian crossings

Abstract

Road traffic crashes result from a combination of factors related to the road layout, the vehicles, the road users and the way they interact. First the main causes of pedestrian fatalities and the safety effects of road measures (traffic lights, roundabouts and refuge islands) at pedestrian crossings before and after implementation were investigated. The results indicate that there is a strong evidence for the positive effect of these measures especially on the number of the pedestrian related accidents. In the next phase a site survey was conducted in order to estimate the irregular crossing manoeuvres of car drivers and pedestrians at designated pedestrian crossings. Having analysed the irregular movements according to the type of crossing it was found, that car drivers behave the most irregularly at crossings without a refuge island. Crossings equipped with flashing yellow lights, refuge islands and traffic lights require a much more appropriate behaviour from car drivers. In the next phase of the research the waiting time of pedestrians and the delay of vehicle drivers again at pedestrian crossings were surveyed. Our results suggest that there is a need for a strong contribution of the human and the engineering fields integrating the tools of cognitive infocommunications to obtain an even more positive change in the safety of vulnerable road users.