Influence of Winter Road Conditions and Signal Delay on Pedestrian Route Choice in Japan's Snowiest Metropolis

Abstract

Investigation of pedestrian route choice behavior on icy surfaces is important for the effective improvement of walkways in winter. The objective of this research was to investigate pedestrian route choice behavior in winter. Field surveys and questionnaire surveys were conducted to fulfill this objective. Video cameras were used in the field surveys to clarify the movements of pedestrians. How pedestrians chose their routes was investigated by observing their movements. According to the field survey, when the signal was green, the probability that the pedestrian would cross became extremely high, regardless of the road surface conditions. However, when the walkway surface was icy, the probability that the pedestrian would wait for a green signal decreased by a considerable value. This indicates that when the wait becomes long, the probability that the pedestrian will cross becomes low during the snowy season. A questionnaire survey was also conducted to clarify the factors affecting pedestrian route choice behavior. The questionnaire asked about different road surface conditions. The results from the survey indicate that even if part of a road section has a good surface condition, it has a strong influence on route choice behavior. It indicates that pedestrians feel uncomfortable in walking on slippery walkways and they prefer to choose bare walkways. On the basis of the data from the field survey and questionnaire survey, logit models were developed to express quantitatively the route choice behaviors of pedestrians. These models can be used to predict the probability that a pedestrian will select a route as a function of pedestrian delay at signalized intersections and the road surface conditions in winter.