Challenge

Despite its prevalence as a transportation mode, walking receives less attention than the motor vehicle mode in terms of national guidance and methods to support planning, designing, and operating safe, functional, and comfortable facilities.

Solution

Kittelson partnered with Portland State University and the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina to lead research to update Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) pedestrian analysis methodologies. A major portion of the research evaluated the effects of safety countermeasures at street crossings on pedestrian quality of service (QOS). Other research tasks improved HCM pedestrian delay methodologies, developed an HCM-compatible technique to evaluate the quality of networks of pedestrian facilities, and synthesized best practices for estimating pedestrian volumes and exposure.

Using pedestrian intercept surveys, video data collection, and a naturalistic walking study using biosensing wristbands, our research team investigated how the presence of specific pedestrian safety countermeasures (e.g., marked crosswalks, median island refuges, rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, leading pedestrian intervals) affects pedestrian satisfaction while crossing the street.