Enhancing Pedestrian Safety through the Development of Advanced Operational Strategies for Crosswalks in Residential Areas

Hussain, Qinaat; Alhajyaseen, Wael; Kharbeche, Mohamed · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.29117/quarfe.2021.0157

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Summary

This study addresses the critical issue of pedestrian safety in residential areas, specifically targeting the high rate of conflicts caused by drivers failing to yield at uncontrolled mid-block crosswalks. Motivated by the fact that pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users and that illegal crossing behaviors are prevalent in Qatar, the research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of various innovative countermeasures. The primary objective was to determine which operational strategies could significantly improve driver yielding rates, reduce vehicle-pedestrian conflicts, and encourage speed reduction. The researchers employed a driving simulator at the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center to test six distinct scenarios: a control condition with standard static signs, LED light units, variable message signs (VMS), physical road narrowing, zigzag markings, and road-narrowing markings. The study involved 58 participants holding valid Qatari driving licenses, with a mean age of 26.69 years. The simulator provided a 135° horizontal view with high-resolution visuals to ensure realistic conditions. Data collected included driver yielding rates, post-encroachment time (PET) to measure conflict severity, and vehicle speeds in both pedestrian-absent and pedestrian-present situations. The results demonstrated that the control condition yielded the lowest compliance, with only 83.6% of drivers yielding to pedestrians and the shortest PET of 4.47 seconds, indicating higher conflict risk. In contrast, all treatment groups significantly improved yielding rates. Variable message signs (VMS), physical road narrowing, and road-narrowing markings achieved the highest yielding rate of 98.2%. LED lights and zigzag markings resulted in a 94.5% yielding rate. Regarding conflict reduction, VMS and physical narrowing were identified as the most effective treatments, achieving PET values of 7.49 seconds and 5.12 seconds, respectively. While physical road narrowing was the most effective treatment for reducing speed when no pedestrians were present, all treatments successfully reduced driver speeds when pedestrians were detected. The study concludes that VMS and physical road narrowing are the most promising countermeasures for enhancing safety at uncontrolled crosswalks. These strategies effectively increase driver yielding compliance, reduce the severity of vehicle-pedestrian conflicts, and motivate speed reduction. The findings suggest that integrating dynamic messaging or physical infrastructure changes can significantly mitigate risks in residential areas, offering actionable insights for traffic safety planning and urban design in similar contexts.

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Topics

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• pedestrian behavior perception
• child pedestrian
• driver vru interaction
• vru facing ehmi