ANALYSIS OF PEDESTRIAN CHARACTERISTICS CROSSING ALONG ROADS

Abstract

Pedestrian crossing represents a substantial problem. In Iraq, there are no spaces marked specifically for pedestrians, which causes many conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians that lead to many accidents. The pedestrian death rate has increased recently due to the deficiency in adequate pedestrian infrastructure. However, to date, limited research has measured pedestrian behavior at crossing intersections in Iraq. There is a need to carry out in-depth studies to analyze crossing behavior to increase traffic efficiency and pedestrian crossing safety. Pedestrian crossing behavior is a serious issue to be addressed to provide adequate pedestrian facilities to enhance the pedestrian traffic environment. Road safety can be improved by locating crossing locations at the right locations and enforcing laws for pedestrian crossing. This study analyzes pedestrian crossing behavior in Baghdad City, Iraq, for four intersections at an unmarked crossing in the Central Business District (CBD) area. All required data were collected by video recording and a field questionnaire. Then, the data were extracted from video recordings and classified according to the selected variables. The period for observing the behavior was during the morning peak hours (November; time: 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.) for three days per week during normal conditions. This study examines pedestrian characteristics, vehicle/pedestrian flow characteristics, and traffic environment. Crossing patterns were followed for different gender and age groups. The finding reveals that the mean pedestrian speed is 1.33 m/sec. Also, males have a higher speed than females. The influences of age, gender, group size, and road width significantly affected pedestrian speed. The pedestrian speed decreased as pedestrian age increased. Gender and group size had significant effects on distinct crossing speeds. In addition, there is a weak significant correlation between pedestrian speed and selected variables. The study recommended specific marked places where a pedestrian must be located, and according to the pedestrian speed estimated in this study, a signal control for a pedestrian is recommended to be set up beside the street to organize the crossing with appropriate time for crossing safely.