Browsing by Subject "Yielding"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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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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    Guidelines for safer pedestrian crossings: Understanding the factors that positively influence vehicle yielding to pedestrians at unsignalized intersections
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-06) Stern, Raphael; Li, Tianyi
    Many factors influence an individual driver's decision to yield or not yield to individual pedestrians attempting to cross the road at an unsignalized crossing. This study collects observational data from more than 3,300 crossing events at 18 intersections in Minnesota to further our understanding of what factors positively influence driver yielding. Using the collected data, a statistical analysis was conducted to identify features that most strongly correlate with driver yielding. Event specific features such as speed were found to greatly influence yielding, with vehicles traveling at a speed of greater than 25 mph significantly less likely to yield to pedestrians than vehicles traveling at speeds lower than 25 mph. Site-specific features such as the presence of signs indicating a crossing were also strongly correlated with driver yielding. The results provide indication of which features of unsignalized crossings correlate with higher driver yielding rates. These findings can be used to guide policy and design at sites where a high driver yielding rate is desirable.
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    Multi-city study of an engineering and outreach program to increase driver yielding at signalized and unsignalized crosswalks
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-03) Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.; Drahos, Bradley; Tian, Disi; Van Houten, Ron; Mabry, Marshall; Kessler, William
    Pedestrian deaths are at a 30-year high nationally, accounting for 16% of total deaths in 2018 and far exceeding the previous decade of 12%, a trend mirrored in Minnesota. Previous research found an increase in local and citywide yielding at unsignalized crosswalks following an engineering and high-visibility enforcement program in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This study examined a modified engineering-focused (i.e., without enforcement) program expanded to both unsignalized and signalized intersections across the Twin Cities. The six-month study found modest improvements in yielding from baseline to treatment end (48.1% to 65.5% in Saint Paul and 19.8% to 38.8% in Minneapolis) at unsignalized engineering treatment sites but no improvements at generalization sites. No significant improvements in left- or right-turning yielding by drivers in Saint Paul were found at treated signalized intersections, but given that yielding was significantly worse at generalization sites over time, there may be some evidence that treatments mitigated performance declines among Saint Paul drivers during the study period. Yielding improvements at signalized treatment sites were more pronounced for only right-turning drivers in Minneapolis, but generalization sites showed no improvement or even worsened over time. Overall, study results suggested no shift in driving culture in either city, as found with the previous study using police enforcement, but found some evidence of local, site-specific changes in driver yielding behavior at treatment locations.
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    Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Evaluation Incorporating Highway Capacity Manual Unsignalized Pedestrian Crossing Analysis Methodology
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation Research Services & Library, 2014-06) Nemeth, Bryan; Tillman, Ross; Melquist, Jeremy; Hudson, Ashley
    This report provides a procedure for the evaluation of uncontrolled pedestrian crossing locations that takes into account accepted practice, safety and delay. Safety considerations have been paramount to the analysis of crossings but delay is often not considered. The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) provides a methodology for determining delay that can be included in the analysis of a crossing location. The analysis procedure takes into account previous research procedures and adds in delay considerations to develop a methodology appropriate for use by jurisdictional agencies in the evaluation of what is needed for treatments at uncontrolled pedestrian crossings. The evaluation procedure developed runs through a multi-step process from field data review through the consideration of appropriate treatment options. The evaluation procedure takes into account field data collection; safety/crash history; stopping sight distance; HCM Level of Service (LOS); pedestrian sight distance; origins and destinations/alternate routes; access spacing and functional classification; roadway speed and pedestrian use; FHWA guidance for placement based on safety considerations; school crossings; and appropriate treatment options. Treatment options include four different classes: Signing and Marking Treatments; Traffic Calming Treatments; Uncontrolled Crossing Treatments; and High Level Treatments.