Title: Safety Investigation of Pedestrians Crossing at Wide Signalized Intersections in Beijing, China
Abstract: Pedestrian safety has become the main concern in traffic management systems of big cities of China. More and more pedestrian-related crashes have been observed at urban roadways, particularly at the intersections where the number of pedestrians crossing the street is relatively high. This study investigated the safety problems of pedestrians crossing at signalized intersections in Beijing, the capital of China. Field observations were conducted together with the questionnaire survey for both pedestrians and drivers at 24 signalized intersections of Beijing. Based on the survey, it can be concluded from this study that it is absolutely necessary to install pedestrian refuge islands at the median of roadways to provide pedestrians with safe waiting areas to complete a two-step crossing. Although there is no crash data available to demonstrate the benefits of installing the refuge island, the majority of pedestrians and drivers in our survey expressed their support for such a countermeasure. In addition, a speed study was also conducted at 6 intersections to suggest that there was a significant difference in speed between roadways with and without pedestrians standing at the fence median. This indicates that the refuge island will benefit the safety and comfort of both pedestrians and drivers. The results of this study can be incorporated into the pedestrian safety management program being carried out nationwide.
Publication Year: 2007
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 2
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