Development of Statewide Guidelines for Implementing Leading Pedestrian Intervals in Florida

Lin, Pei-Sung; Wang, Zhenyu; Chen, Cong; Guo, Rui; Zhang, Zhao · 2017 · ROSA P / University of South Florida. Center for Urban Transportation Research

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study addresses the critical issue of pedestrian safety at signalized intersections in Florida, where high crash rates and driver non-yielding behaviors pose significant risks. The research focuses on Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), a traffic signalization strategy that provides pedestrians with an advance "Walk" signal before vehicles receive a green light. This "pedestrian head start" aims to increase pedestrian visibility and reduce conflicts with turning vehicles. The primary objective was to determine the suitability and effectiveness of LPI implementation and to develop comprehensive statewide guidelines for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The methodology involved a multi-phase approach. First, the researchers conducted a comprehensive literature review and gathered input from experienced traffic engineers and FDOT district representatives through surveys, interviews, and teleconferences to draft preliminary guidelines. Second, a pilot before-after study was conducted at eleven testing approaches across nine geographically diverse intersections in Florida. Video data of at least eight hours on weekdays were collected before and after LPI implementation to analyze pedestrian volumes, vehicle yielding behaviors, conflicts, and signal compliance. Additionally, simulation analyses were performed on the two most congested sites to evaluate operational impacts. The findings indicate that LPIs are highly effective in improving safety. Proper implementation reduced vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at 83% of testing approaches during the initial LPI phase and at 75% of approaches during the entire walk phase, with conflict reductions ranging from 25% to 100%. However, driver yielding behavior showed mixed results; while non-yielding decreased during the full walk phase, it increased during the initial LPI seconds as drivers attempted quick turns. Consequently, the study recommends implementing static or blank-out "NO TURN ON RED" or "TURNING VEHICLES YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS" signs alongside LPIs. Operationally, LPIs had a trivial adverse or even favorable impact on intersection efficiency, with simulation showing slight changes in average vehicle delay. Utilization efficiency was high, with over 85% of pedestrians using the LPI at seven of the nine sites. The significance of this work lies in the finalization of robust, data-driven statewide guidelines for LPI warrants and implementation. The guidelines consider factors such as crash history, visibility issues, citizen complaints, land use, and specific volume thresholds for vehicles and pedestrians. These tools provide traffic engineers with a clear framework for assessing LPI suitability, determining appropriate durations, and identifying necessary supplemental measures. The study concludes that LPIs are a viable, low-cost countermeasure for enhancing pedestrian safety in Florida, provided they are implemented with appropriate warrants and supporting signage to mitigate driver non-compliance.

Key finding

Leading Pedestrian Intervals reduced vehicle-pedestrian conflicts by 25% to 100% at tested intersections, though mixed driver yielding behaviors necessitate supplemental signage.

Methodology

field_study

Sample size: 9

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• vru facing ehmi