EVALUATION OF LightGuard FLASHING LIGHTS AT
PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS
PI: Panos D. Prevedouros, Associate Professor
Assistants: A. Agapay, C. Cruz, B. Lee, S. Su and B. Yee
Sponsor: Highways Division, Hawaii DOT (20%) and Federal Highway
Administration (80%) - HDOT Project Manager: Karl Kunishige
Project Duration: February - October 2000
The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) installed
experimental flashing lights at an unsignalized pedestrian crossing along
Pali Hwy. in response to recent pedestrian fatalities. The purpose of the
lights is to increase the awareness of the motorists on their
responsibility to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. The lights are
activated by pedestrians using push-buttons akin to those at signalized
intersections. LightGuard are in-pavement LED devices that light in the
direction of on-coming traffic. A detailed evaluation of the effects of
LightGuard on pedestrian safety is being conducted.
The evaluation consists of analysis and before-after comparisons of:
- traffic volume patterns
- traffic speeds
- traffic delays
- pedestrian crossing patterns and delays
- pedestrian conflicts with vehicles and "mishaps"
- detailed characteristics of pedestrian and motorist behavior (e.g.,
attentiveness and compliance)
- pedestrians and motorists perception of change in the situation.
Selected quantitative findings are as follows:
- The effect of the in-pavement flashing lights on speeds was dramatic.
Maximum spot speed decreased by 16.2% and 17.8%, average spot speed
decreased by 25.2% and 27.2% and the 85th-percentile spot speed decreased
by 14.0% and 16.3% in the NB and SB direction of traffic on Pali Hwy.,
respectively.
- The wait time for pedestrians at the curb was reduced by 50.5% from 26.7
sec. to 13.2 sec. The duration of crossing was reduced by 19.3% from 33.6
sec. to 27.1 sec. because pedestrians can cross at once as opposed to the
previous condition when frequently they had to wait in the median for a
gap in the other direction of traffic. Fewer motorists disregarded
pedestrians in the crossing: 31% before versus 8% after.
-
In the pre-implementation period, 21.6% of the pedestrians were observed
to run during part of the crossing to avoid approaching traffic. This
dropped to 12.1% in the post-implementation period. The proportion of
pedestrians who crossed entirely outside the marked cross walk decreased
from 15.9% to 8.3%.
The evaluation showed that this experimental application of in-pavement
flashing lights produced clearly positive results and the experiment can
be characterized as a success.
The 76 page resport can be requested by the Hawaii DOT. Report number
HWY-T-UH-00-01 dated December 15, 2000.
Last updated on November 30, 2000.