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Investigating surrogate safety measures at midblock pedestrian crossings using multivariate models with roadside
Nafis Anwari1, Mohamed Abdel-Aty1, Amrita Goswamy1
1Department of Civil, Environment & Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida (UCF), Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|August 1, 2023
Summary
This study compared pedestrian safety at Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) and Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHB). Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons showed improved temporal safety measures, but pedestrians initiated crossings further from vehicles at RRFB sites.
Area of Science:
- Traffic Safety Engineering
- Human Factors in Transportation
- Pedestrian Behavior Analysis
Background:
- Midblock crossings present significant safety challenges for pedestrians.
- Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) and Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHB) are traffic control devices aimed at improving pedestrian safety.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of these devices using quantitative safety measures is crucial for informed infrastructure design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate and compare Surrogate Safety Measures (SSMs) for pedestrian safety at midblock RRFB and PHB sites.
- To identify significant determinants influencing these safety measures.
- To compare the performance of linear and non-linear regression models in analyzing SSMs.
Main Methods:
- Collected extensive video data at five RRFB and two PHB sites in Florida.
- Utilized computer vision to derive four pedestrian SSMs: spatial gap, temporal gap, relative time to collision (RTTC), and Post Encroachment Time (PET).
- Employed Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests and linear/non-linear regression analyses on 395 aggregated pedestrian-vehicle interaction observations.
Main Results:
- Non-linear regression models outperformed linear models in analyzing SSMs.
- Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHB) showed increased temporal SSMs compared to Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB), indicating enhanced safety.
- Significant determinants of SSMs included PHB presence, time of day, signal activation, lane count, speeds, land use, and pedestrian starting position.
Conclusions:
- Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons appear to offer improved temporal safety outcomes over Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons.
- Pedestrian crossing initiation behavior differs between RRFB and PHB sites, with a tendency for larger spatial gaps at RRFB sites.
- Understanding these differences is key to optimizing pedestrian crossing safety strategies at unsignalized midblock locations.
