Pedestrian Walking Speed Characteristics at Signalized Intersections in New Urban District Communities

Abstract

Walking speed is an important parameter for signal timing and safety analysis at signalized intersections. Walking speed varies significantly at different location and over time, and need to be re-calibrated for safer and efficient intersection designs. This paper documents a study performed to analyze pedestrian’s speed characteristics at signalized intersections in new urban district communities. Field data were obtained through video camera at four typical 4-leg intersections in the high-tech metropolitan area of Xi’an, China. Statistical descriptions and the distribution fittings were conducted by Statistical Product and Service Solutions （SPSS）. Results shows that the pedestrian crossing speed characteristics are influenced by both the pedestrian’s own characteristics and an intersection's geometric and operational characteristics. Male and female walking speed distributions are all in line with the normal distribution, and the youth, middle-aged, and elderly pedestrians speed distributions follow log-normal distribution. The average walking speed varies significantly with the variance of the crosswalk lengths at the same intersection.