An analysis of the effect of a pedestrian signal upon pedestrian behavior at a given intersection

This research studied pedestrian behavior at an intersection equipped with pedestrian signals and at the same intersection without pedestrian signals. Two video cameras were used to record the behavior of pedestrians engaged in a crossing maneuver at two marked crosswalks at the intersection.

Several hypotheses were prepared and tested in a statistical fashion. An analysis was performed to determine if the proportion of illegal crossing maneuvers increased in the absence of a pedestrian signal. The results indicated that the proportion of illegal crossing maneuvers did not increase. Furthermore, results indicated that looking behavior was not significantly affected byt he presence of pedestrian signals. In additon, the mean wait time, and mean walk times of pedestrians were not affected by the presence of pedestrian signals.