INVESTIGATION OF AVERAGE DELAYS OF ROAD USERS AT SIGNALIZED PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS

Abstract

Problem. The adoption of informed decisions on the providing pedestrian crossings with traffic lights with push buttons is an urgent problem, which is mainly caused by the lack of sufficient substantiation of the boundary conditions for their use. First of all, this concerns stand-alone pedestrian crossings on the streets and roads, since most of the scientific work in this field is devoted to the study of the interaction of traffic and pedestrian flows at intersections. The current regulatory documents in our country describe the requirements for the introduction of traffic lights, but they do not contain any conditions for the introduction of push buttons at regulated pedestrian crossings. Existing models for pedestrian and vehicle delays are characterized by errors and significant simplifications in the formulas. Therefore, the problem of determining the boundary conditions for the use of traffic lights at stand-alone pedestrian crossings remains open. Goal. The aim of the work is to create analytical formulas for the delay time of pedestrians and vehicles when overcoming places of intersection of traffic and pedestrian flowsat stand-alone regulated pedestrian crossings, depending on the flow intensity. Methodology. To determine the delays of road users overcoming the regulated stand-alone pedestrian crossing with push button the analytical methods of research were used. It was taken as a basis that the movement of vehicles and pedestrians on streets and roads outside the influence zone of intersections can be considered as the simplest flow. Results. The obtained analytical dependences allow us to calculate the total time spent by pedestrians and vehicles for overcoming the intersection of traffic and pedestrian flows, depending on their intensity. The formed models are the basis for creating a general dependence of the total time expenditure of all participants of the movement. Originality. For the first time, a comprehensive analytical approach to determining roads users’ delays when they overcome regulated stand-alone pedestrian crossings with push button is fully built. It is based on correct assumptions for the selected object of study and allows an objective estimation of the time delays by road users. Practical value. The dependencies obtained in the work are aimed at improving the normative documents of Ukraine concerning the usage of regulated pedestrian crossings with push buttons on the streets and roads.