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Abstract
Despite a burgeoning research effort directed at understanding the effects of age,
gender, disability, group size, traffic control condition and street width on pedestrian
safety and compliance rate as they cross a signalized intersection, remarkably little
is known about the compliance rate at a signal controlled two-stage crossing and how
pedestrians react to different weather conditions. The purpose of this study was to
determine whether pedestrian behavior becomes more risky in inclement weather through
the investigation of street crossing behavior and compliance under different weather
and road surface conditions at a busy two-stage crossing. Road crossing behavior was
filmed at one eight-lane divided road strip at a downtown site in Toronto metropolitan
area. The intersection was filmed unobtrusively from a rooftop by one camera set to
record both oncoming near-side traffic and pedestrian movements. Pedestrian behavior
and compliance rate were scored for a number of determinants of safe road crossing
actions. Overall, the results show that road crossing behavior in inclement weather
conditions was less safe than in fine weather. The designs of signal timing and configuration
of the center refuge island also adversely influenced pedestrian behavior at this
crossing, and adverse weather conditions further exacerbated the noncompliance rate.
This paper presents new information on compliance rate at a two-stage crossing that
emphasizes the need to consider the influence of traffic signal design and weather
conditions on pedestrians' behavior. More studies are needed to develop traffic control
techniques to allow pedestrians to cross wide two-stage crossings in safety.