THE EFFECTS ON SAFETY OF IN-ROADWAY WARNING LIGHTS AT CROSSWALKS: NOVELTY OR LONGEVITY?

In an effort to improve pedestrian safety, roadway warning lights are being installed at crosswalks around the United States. Although prior evaluations have studied the effectiveness of in-roadway warning lights, results have been mixed. A field study was conducted in Rockville, Maryland to assess whether in-roadway warning lights increase safe crossing situations for pedestrians at uncontrolled locations. This study was a before and after study and investigated driver behavior (e.g., driver yielding) and pedestrian behavior (e.g., crossing location, wait times to cross). Findings from this study indicated that in-roadway warning lights do lead to shorter wait times to cross and to increased driver yielding. Pedestrians, however, are not more likely to use the crosswalk after the lights are installed and many still choose to cross at other locations. Based on observations of the crosswalk, we have several suggestions for improving the effectiveness of in-roadway warning lights. First, improved performance may result if systems are installed with both passive and active actuation. In addition it may be beneficial to place the detection bollards further apart than the width of the crosswalk. A number of pedestrians entered the crosswalk just outside the passive detection system, and did not trigger the lights. The present paper describes the results from the before and after phases of this research project. One year after installation, in Spring 2005, we will collect more data to examine the long-term effects of in-roadway lighting. Initial results, however, demonstrate the treatment's promise and opportunities to improve them even more.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0935403876
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Full conference proceedings available on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Rousseau, G K
  • Tucker, S M
  • Do, A
• Conference:
  • ITE 2004 Annual Meeting and Exhibit
  • Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida
  • Date: 2004-8-1 to 2004-8-4
• Publication Date: 2004

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Crosswalks; Drivers; Lighting systems; Pedestrian safety; Road markings; Warning devices; Warning signals; Yield signs
• Geographic Terms: Maryland
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00981520
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0935403876
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 4 2004 12:00AM