Pedestrian crossing light violation in Costa Rica: exploring factors affecting mid-block crossing behavior

Araya-Porras, Enoc; Mora-Calderón, Andrey; Aguero-Valverde, Jonathan · 2022 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.15517/ri.v32i2.50386

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Summary

This study investigates the factors influencing pedestrian illegal crossing behavior at signalized mid-block crossings in Costa Rica, addressing a gap in literature regarding pedestrian safety in Latin America. Pedestrians are vulnerable road users, and illegal crossings significantly increase crash risks. The research aims to model the relationship between human factors (age, gender, waiting time, group size) and road characteristics (traffic volume, crossing length, signal timing) to determine what drives compliance or violation of traffic signals. The researchers conducted an observational study at six selected signalized mid-block crossings in the Montes de Oca district. Data was collected via one-hour video recordings during business hours, resulting in 1,707 observed pedestrian crossings, of which 10.6% were illegal violations. Variables included pedestrian demographics, vehicle volume, crossing geometry, signal phase durations, and waiting times. The study employed a binary logit model to estimate the probability of illegal crossing, coding legal crossings as zero and illegal crossings as one. The statistical analysis revealed that several factors significantly influenced crossing behavior. Higher vehicular volume, longer pedestrian red-light phases, increased waiting times, the presence of vehicle red-light violations, and crossing in groups all reduced the probability of pedestrian illegal crossings. Specifically, a thousand-vehicle increase in hourly volume decreased the illegal crossing rate by 6.8%. Conversely, longer crossing lengths and shorter minimum response times for the traffic light increased the likelihood of violations. Notably, age and gender were not statistically significant predictors in this dataset, largely due to the sample’s demographic homogeneity, with 94% of pedestrians aged 19–40. The study also found that pedestrians were less likely to violate signals if they had already waited for a portion of the red phase, suggesting that sunk cost influences compliance. The findings highlight that traffic light cycle configuration is a critical variable for ensuring pedestrian compliance and safety. The study concludes that rigorous analysis of signal timing, particularly minimum response times and red-light durations, is essential for designing safer mid-block crossings. By optimizing these infrastructure parameters, authorities can reduce illegal crossing behaviors and improve overall pedestrian safety in urban environments.

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• pedestrian behavior perception