Pedestrians' Crossing Behaviors and Crossing Preferences: A Field Study

Abstract

Pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable road user groups in traffic and face many risky situations in traffic, especially when pedestrians cross the street, where a pedestrians-vehicle interaction or conflict is most likely. Different from the previous studies on pedestrian behavior, the current study targeted exploring pedestrian behavior and safety at a specific street in Ankara-Tunalı Hilmi Street Turkey employing two different data collection methods. Specifically, the current study aimed to understand the behaviors, perceptions, and crossing preferences of pedestrians in the study area. In addition to the above, it aimed to identify situations that create safety concerns for pedestrians in the area and offer area-specific countermeasures addressing these concerns. For this purpose, an online survey study and an observational study were conducted. The results of the survey based on investigations of the crossing preferences of 96 pedestrians revealed an understanding of the participants’ motivation when crossing the street, their attitudes toward traffic rules, and their safety perceptions about the area. Additionally, it targeted to understand the situations that negatively affect road safety in the area for pedestrians. According to the survey respondents, the study area was unsafe for pedestrians and the biggest problem in terms of pedestrian safety is vehicle traffic and parking. The observation study presented significant differences in crosswalk use, compliance with the signal between pedestrians who cross alone or in a pair and those who cross in a group. People who cross the street as a group use crosswalk and comply with the traffic signal more than people crossing alone or in a pair. In addition, considering the illegal crossing rate, it can be said that jaywalkers – people who do not use crosswalk – are the majority in the study area. As a result, the current study helps to arrange crossing facilities according to pedestrian preference because the proper design of facilities contributes to pedestrian safety and encourages walking without sacrificing safety and comfort. Accordingly, reducing vehicle traffic, increasing and arranging parking areas, and increasing number of pedestrian facilities are suggested to increase pedestrian safety in the area.