TCRP Project D-08, FY 2002/ NCHRP Project 03-71, FY 2003


Background. With the movement toward livable communities, where walking and using transit are attractive transportation options, there is an ever increasing desire to improve pedestrian safety.

The AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan identifies pedestrian safety as a key issue. Annually, in the United States, approximately 11% of all motor vehicle-related fatalities are pedestrians. Traffic conditions have changed over the past several decades as traffic volumes and congestion have increased significantly. These changes have adversely affected pedestrians' ability to safely cross many roadways. Of particular concern is pedestrians' ability to cross high-traffic-volume, suburban roadways that are often transit routes.

Transit stops are typically 600 to 1200 feet apart in suburban areas, and many are not located at signalized intersections. Transit riders must cross the road at least once each day while walking to and from transit services. Positioning transit stops only at signalized intersections forces potential patrons to walk long distances and discourages ridership. Positioning a transit stop on a roadway at a unsignalized intersection encourages transit customers to cross the road at a location that may be unsafe.

Recent developments in geometric design features and traffic control devices and technologies offer potential for improving pedestrian safety and access by addressing specific problems associated with roadway crossings. While numerous treatments exist at unsignalized crossings, there is growing concern about their effectiveness. Thus, there is a need to identify and study selected treatments to determine their effectiveness.

In addition, standards and guidelines in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) govern placement of traffic control devices. There is concern that the existing traffic signal pedestrian warrant may need to be modified. For example, state and local transportation agencies often have difficulty justifying the installation of traffic signals at pedestrian-crossing locations. Many of these locations are experiencing traffic volume increases, along with reductions in gaps in traffic that provide opportunities for the safe crossing of pedestrians. Transit stops may exist on both sides of these roadways, creating unsafe pedestrian-crossing conditions. In these (often suburban) locations, meeting the pedestrian volumes specified in the warrant is rarely possible. Research is needed to determine how this warrant might be updated to reflect current conditions.

Objectives. The objectives of this research are to: (1) recommend selected engineering treatments to improve safety for pedestrians crossing high-volume and high-speed roadways at unsignalized locations, in particular those served by public transportation and (2) recommend modifications to the MUTCD traffic signal pedestrian warrant.

Status: The panel approved the publication of the research and the Revised Final Report has been received. The research report and Appendix A will be published as a joint report TCRP Report 112/NCHRP Report 562. Appendixes B through O will be published as TCRP Web-Only Doc 31/NCHRP Web-Only Document 90. The published research should be available in the summer 2006.