Changes in road-user behaviors following the installation of raised pedestrian crosswalks combined with preceding speed humps, on urban arterials

Gitelman, Victoria; Carmel, Roby; Pesahov, Fany; Chen, Sarit

doi:10.1016/j.trf.2016.07.007

Cited by 41 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…For junctions, the data were coded separately for each step of e-cyclist movement: while travelling on a street section before the junction, while crossing a junction and while travelling on a street section after the junction. A conflict was defined as an abrupt change in the speed and/or the direction of travel, by the rider or other road user in order to avoid a collision, in line with previous research (Ewing and Dumbaugh, 2009;Gitelman et al, 2017). A further analysis of conflicts was applied using a method based on the Dutch traffic conflict technique (Van der Horst et al, 2014).…”

Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young e-cyclists in Israeli cities: a characterization of typical behaviours and risk factors based on field observations

Gitelman¹,

Korchatov²,

Carmel³

et al. 2018

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Electric power-assisted bicycles (e-bicycles) provide a convenient form of mobility in urban areas, being an attractive alternative to private cars, usual cycling and walking. However, there is a growing concern of their associated injuries, resulting from the increasing exposure and apparently higher speeds. Unlike other countries, in Israel, a growing use of e-bicycles by youngsters (below 18) is observed, in many towns, accompanied by a substantial increase in the number of related injuries. In this study, an observational survey of young e-cyclists was undertaken in Israeli towns aiming to characterize their behaviours at typical urban settings and then to consider measures needed for their safe integration in the urban space. The observational survey was focused on teen e-cyclists' behaviours during their trips to and from school and during leisure hours. The data were collected by means of dynamic video-recording, at five types of urban settings: signalized and un-signalized intersections; roundabouts; street sections with and without bicycle-paths. The survey covered 225 locations in 15 cities, including 150 sites near highschools and 75 in city centers. In total, over 2000 video-films were collected and their contents were coded for statistical analyses. The results showed that at all types of sites, most teenager e-cyclists were males, older than 16 and not wearing a helmet, despite the traffic law demands. High shares of them rode on sidewalks and crossed at crosswalks, violating the law that prohibits using pedestrian facilities for riding. At signalized intersections, substantial shares crossed on red, both on the roadway and on crosswalks, thus violating the traffic law and increasing accident risk. At various urban settings, young e-cyclists demonstrated a wide range of risky manoeuvres. They move faster than pedestrians and endanger them on sidewalks, but also disturb vehicle traffic and endanger themselves while riding on the road. A wider application of bicycle infrastructure, with better separation between the sidewalks, roadways and bicycle paths, would lead to a safer integration of e-bicycles in Israeli cities. Additionally, road safety education and training of teen e-cyclists supported by stronger enforcement of traffic regulations are required.

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Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young e-cyclists in Israeli cities: a characterization of typical behaviours and risk factors based on field observations

Gitelman¹,

Korchatov²,

Carmel³

et al. 2018

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“…Despite the reduction of fatalities in European countries in recent years, an increase in fatalities in urban areas has been recorded [2][3][4][5]. As a consequence, traffic engineers and urban planners have increased their focus on vulnerable road users [6][7][8][9][10]. Accordingly, traffic safety countermeasures have been developed in urban areas to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, RPCs encourage drivers to yield to pedestrians: Signed and marked facilities provide a continuous route for pedestrians at the same level as the sidewalk. Therefore, pedestrians do not encounter curb ramps and vehicles should slow down their operating speed, thus reducing the risk of injury to pedestrians [6]. However, local authorities are not using in an appropriate manner both SCUs [14] and RPCs, and there is a lack of regulations on traffic control design [27].…”

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confidence: 99%

Raised Pedestrian Crossings: Analysis of Their Characteristics on a Road Network and Geometric Sizing Proposal

Loprencipe¹,

Moretti²,

Pantuso³

et al. 2019

Applied Sciences

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In urban areas traffic-calming strategies and pedestrian friendly measures are often adopted to reduce the adverse impacts of motor vehicles on vulnerable users. This study surveyed 24 raised pedestrian crossings (RPCs) to examine their geometrical and functional characteristics. Geometric characteristics, location, administrative and effective vehicle speed, and the whole-body vibration acceleration induced to vehicle occupants while they are passing over, were considered. In addition to the analysis of the field data, geometrical and functional criteria to design RPCs were carried out. Particularly, two design approaches have been considered. In the first one, RPC provides a designated route across a carriageway raised to the same level, or close to the same level, as the sidewalks that provide access to the pedestrian crossing. In such condition, an RPC is not a traffic-calming device and its design should satisfy geometrical and comfort criteria for designing roads. The results from the surveys demonstrated that less than 10% of RPCs guarantee ride comfort. According to the second design approach, an RPC acts both as a marked pedestrian feature and as a traffic-calming device (i.e., it is trapezoidal in shape with sharp edges). The analysis of the vertical accelerations on vehicle occupants reveal that more than 90% of the surveyed RPCs comply with geometrical and dynamic criteria for speed tables. Extreme variations concerning the observed geometrical characteristics of RPCs and the modelled dynamic performances have been observed: It results in noneffective treatments. Therefore, the results of this study would contribute to providing geometric best practices for overcoming the regulation gap in this subject, and designing RPCs according to international standards. pedestrian infrastructures is increasing [15,16]. Over the years, different systems have been adopted to reduce the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions, especially in urban areas. Speed control undulations (SCUs) are traffic-calming units that aim to increase pedestrian safety, as well as reduce noise and pollution from traffic in residential areas.Undulations are usually installed on residential, local, or collector roads; at any rate, these urban roads should not have buses, emergency traffic or, in general, heavy traffic, and should have an administrative speed limit of 20 or 30 km/h [5,17]. A warning sign with an adequate speed limit sign should be installed before an undulation [1,18]. When 15% of traffic exceeds the speed limit by 8-16 km/h the enforcement band is not effective [19], and the road manager could evaluate the installation of SCUs and/or other traffic-calming systems.Raised pedestrian crossings (RPCs) are used in urban areas to increase the walkability of neighborhoods [20] and to reduce the probability of pedestrian injuries and fatalities after a crash, either within specific traffic-calming programs, or more generally within Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, with increased road safety being one of the main priorities in th...

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“…The original study (Gitelman et al, 2017) included eight sites that were not selected from the vicinity of schools. However, at three sites A, B and C, included in that paper, there were high shares of child pedestrians below the age of 18.…”

Section: Test Sites In Israelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of crosswalks for children A synthesis of best practice

Leden¹,

Johansson²,

Rosander³

et al. 2018

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A synthesis of best practice was done to come up with a "best design" of crosswalks used by children. The analysis is based on studies from three sites in Sweden and three in Israel, research results concerning "ideal" interactions, and a review of additional countermeasures as described in the literature. Our presumption is that actual vehicle speeds should be below 20 km/h where children (aged 7 to 12 years) are crossing a street, especially if they are walking unaccompanied by an adult. The results of field studies show that a "best design" to reach this should include a speed-reducing device located before the crosswalk. The optimal distance from such a device to the crosswalk is about 10 m if the speed limit is 30 km/h or lower. For streets with 50 km/h speed limits, a longer distance of 15 to 20 m is needed and, as a complimentary measure, the crosswalk itself should also be elevated. At approaches with two lanes or more, multiple-threat conflicts occur due to vehicles overtaking stopped ones in the adjacent lane. These conflicts are a threat especially to children, as they often are hidden behind the stopped vehicle if it has stopped too close to the crosswalk. To provide a stronger message for alerting drivers to stop and to stop early, and not to overtake a stopped car in an adjacent lane, advanced yield bars or stop lines are needed. For those, a distance to the crosswalk of about 10 m is recommended. To secure travel speeds below 20 km/h, additional measures like camera enforcement of speeds near the crosswalk might be needed. Within a few years, ITS technology may govern speeds at marked crosswalks, and speed-reducing measures will be less needed at that time. However, for the foreseeable future, older vehicles lacking such technology will still be allowed on streets and even in newer vehicles, speed-control systems may be voluntary and possible to switch off. Therefore, we believe that investments into the measures discussed in this paper will have a role to play for decades to come.

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Changes in road-user behaviors following the installation of raised pedestrian crosswalks combined with preceding speed humps, on urban arterials

Cited by 41 publications

References 13 publications

Young e-cyclists in Israeli cities: a characterization of typical behaviours and risk factors based on field observations

Young e-cyclists in Israeli cities: a characterization of typical behaviours and risk factors based on field observations

Raised Pedestrian Crossings: Analysis of Their Characteristics on a Road Network and Geometric Sizing Proposal

Design of crosswalks for children A synthesis of best practice

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