Study On Pedestrian Crossing Characteristics

With the fast urbanization in China, demands for trips and outdoor activities increase among urban residents. Therefore, the volumes of vehicles and pedestrians rise, too. Walking, as a representative for slow transport, is gradually confronted with vehicles, on behalf of fast transport. Since there is unbalanced economic development in China, with a giant population base, urban residents trips will heavily rely on slow transport as walking, riding bicycles, and others, although there will be rapid development in economic. The fact can not be improved within decades. As a result, it becomes the goal for research in the paper how to release the conflict between the crossing pedestrians and the passing vehicles to construct a harmonious society.Based on the National Natural Sciences Funds the paper is the study on pedestrian crossing characteristics with 6 chapters. Chapter 2, 3, 4, 5, are about the key issues to be discussed, with Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 are the core for discussion.In Chapter 1, the background of the research has been clarified to give the target and significance of the research. A literature review was made as a summary of the achievement domestically and abroad on the subject. The objective of the research was declared to build the framework of the paper, laying foundation for the following chapters.In Chapter 2, behavior characteristics of pedestrian were introduced by using behaviorism theoretical analysis. The rules of pedestrian crossing were analyzed, including the objective environment of pedestrian crossing, the subjective demands for pedestrian crossing, and the behaviors of pedestrian crossing. Focus were put upon the spaces of pedestrian crossing: stillness space, movement space, and psychological space; therefore, the causes for herd behavior, overflow behavior, and shortcut behavior when the pedestrians were crossing. Up to the spacial scales of the spaces, three layers are used on the pedestrian space. Through classification and comparison of pedestrian crossing behavior by age, gender, and group scale, the reasons for affecting pedestrian crossing compliance were declared.In Chapter 3, field data from typical intersections and midblocks were obtained to analyze the characteristics of pedestrian flow: speed and flow. The rule for pedestrian arrival was testified. Common pedestrian parameter models were introduced as speed-density, flow-density, speed-flow, speed-occupation models. At last, the psychological safety distance model for pedestrian crossing was established. It is indicated through sufficient statistic data that motorways has a greater effect over pedestrian crossing speed than gender and age of the crossing pedestrians. The speeds of different classified pedestrian groups directly relate to their psychological characteristics. The rules for pedestrian arrival at the intersections and midblocks follow the Poisson Distribution and the Negative Binomial Distribution with low flow and high flow respectively.In Chapter 4, pedestrian crossing delay at intersections and midblocks was analyzed by applying field data from typical traffic spots. Based on the premise that the vehicular headways follow the Weibull Distribution, pedestrian crossing delay models are established at three situations: direct crossing, directional crossing and way-by-way crossing. The vehicular headway models based on the Weibull Distribution were calibrated by using the field data from typical intersections and midblocks in Changchun City. At last, pedestrian crossing delay characteristics of the different modes were compared. It is indicated that the Weibull Distribution makes a better description for vehicular arrival at intersections and midblocks and can be generalized in the similar vehicular environment.In Chapter 5, it was analyzed the rules of conflicts among pedestrian flows, vehicular flows and non-motorized vehicular flows at intersections and midblocks. Pedestrian signal timing methods are given for intersection and midblock pedestrian crossing. Based the finding in the previous chapters and analysis on pedestrian crossing characteristics observed, simulation software VISSIM was used to testify the effect of pedestrian signal control. It is indicated that within certain pedestrian flow, scientific pedestrian signal control may reduce pedestrian crossing delay, strengthen pedestrian compliance, secure pedestrian crossing safety and vehicular safety, and diminish the potential dangers at pedestrian crosswalks.In Chapter 6, summery was made to conclude the paper, and future work was perspected including: (1) further work on the psychological safety distance for pedestrian crossing by data calibration; (2) further work on the Weibull Distribution and field data testification; (3) further work on the timing methods for pedestrian crossing signal control and the matching parameter calibration methods.