Browsing by Subject "Pedestrian signs"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Evaluation of R1-6 Gateway Treatment Alternatives for Pedestrian Crossings: Follow Up Report
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2017-06) Van Houten, Ron; Hochmuth, Jonathan
    Monthly follow-up data confirmed that permanent in roadway installations of the R1-6 gateway treatment led to an increase in the percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians at midblock and multilane urban and suburban locations from 15% to 70% and that these increases endured without any decrement over the spring, summer and fall of 2016. Speed data collected at each site showed 4 to 5 mph reduction in mean when motorists traversed the crosswalk when pedestrians were absent. These speed changes persisted over time. An additional study showed that placing the signs between 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 ft in advance of the crosswalk were equally effective and they enticed drivers to yield further ahead of the crosswalk. Data on sign survival showed that signs mounted on a curb type mount with a flexible rubber attachment all survived while only 58% of the flush mounted signs with a pivoting base survived. Data showed that none of the signs mounted on top of the edge of a curb on a refuge island or median island, curb extension, or the curb on the edge of the roadway under FHWA permission to experiment were destroyed or damaged.
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    Evaluation of Sustained Enforcement, Education, and Engineering Measures on Pedestrian Crossings
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation., 2019-07) Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.; Van Houten, Ron
    Pedestrian fatalities and injuries represent a growing percentage of all traffic fatalities and injuries. This project used a multifaceted approach to improving compliance to the Minnesota crosswalk law in Saint Paul, Minnesota, including: (1) education, (2) measurement, (3) enforcement efforts, (4) social norming, and (5) engineering treatment. The multifaceted activities were planned and implemented in Saint Paul with city traffic engineers and enforcement officers. The study initially observed 32% yielding and frequent multiple threat passing at 16 unsignalized, marked crosswalks throughout Saint Paul, measured through staged pedestrian crossings by the research team. A program was implemented that used a phased treatment approach of disseminating educational materials, conducting four waves of high visibility enforcement (HVE), displaying yielding averages on feedback signs across the city, and introducing low-cost engineering solutions through in-street signs. The results demonstrated a significant impact from education, HVE, and engineering to increase yielding to as high as 78% at enforcement sites and 61% at untreated sites. Multiple threat passing was also reduced. Overall, the study demonstrated that the HVE program and combined low-cost engineering were effective at improving compliance to the crosswalk law.
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    Using a Smartphone App to Assist the Visually Impaired at Signalized Intersections
    (Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-08) Liao, Chen-Fu
    The blind and Visually Impaired (VI) rely heavily on walking and public transit for their transportation needs. A major challenge for this population is safe crossing of intersections. As a result of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) systems at signalized intersections have improved significantly since 2000. However, these systems still have shortcomings for both users and municipalities, and new approaches are needed to adequately serve pedestrians with low vision. As part of our ongoing effort to develop a prototype Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signal (MAPS) application for the blind and VI, we interviewed ten blind and lowvision people to better understand what types of information they use at intersection crossings and to identify information types that could assist them. With these survey results, a MAPS prototype was developed that provides signal and intersection geometry information to Smartphone users at signalized intersections. User interaction is via simple tactile input (single or double-tap) and Text-To-Speech (TTS) technology. A MAPS prototype was developed and tested to evaluate the functionalities of providing signal and orientation information to the visually impaired travelers at signalized intersections. This proposal will build upon the developed MAPS and investigate how blind and low-vision individuals gain their spatial knowledge surrounding an intersection and how the MAPS can be used to support their decision-making strategy at intersection crossings.