Pedestrians safety perceptions on midblock crosswalk utilization along urban corridors of developing countries

Abstract

In Ghana, road crossing accidents account for more than 70% of all pedestrian fatalities as the task of road crossing is challenging, even in so-called ‘protected’ midblock crosswalks. This paper assesses pedestrians perception of midblock crosswalks safety along major arterials in the Sunyani municipality. Following the identification and ranking of twenty-four (24) pedestrian crash-prone locations using the MAAP IV software, identified pedestrian crosswalks were inventorized, their degree of utilization were investigated and some active pedestrians were interviewed. There is a strong correlation between pedestrian perceptions and use behavior behaviour as over 90% of pedestrians stated they did not use the midblock crosswalks, and about 77% stated the location of the facility influenced their crossing behaviour. In the strict use of designated midblock crosswalks, only 8.7% of active pedestrians complied. Findings suggest that the incorporation of pedestrian views into the design and construction of pedestrian facilities could significantly improve the use of these facilities and consequently the occurrence of crashes. These findings have implication particularly for transport managers in developing countries with limited budgets for infrastructure provision.