Assessing Pedestrian Sight Distance for Crossing Decisions

A pedestrian can safely cross a street only if one of two conditions is met: either a vehicle comes to a full stop for the pedestrian or an adequate gap in traffic occurs that allows the pedestrian to cross without conflict. To assess such gaps, a pedestrian needs adequate visibility to make the decision. Currently, evaluating sight distance for crosswalks is typically done from the perspective of a driver's ability to stop for a pedestrian using stopping sight distance (SSD). However, limited guidance exists on how to evaluate pedestrian decision sight distance. Pedestrian sight distance can be assessed by modifying methodologies from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (hereafter the AASHTO Green Book) or Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities. However, criteria are not specified to determine the pedestrian crossing time in certain cases, such as Case B3 outlined in the AASHTO Green Book. Research is needed to establish procedures and methodologies to support state departments of transportation in assessing and ensuring adequate pedestrian decision sight distance during the project development process. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project is to develop a framework for assessing sight distance for pedestrian crossings across various roadway contexts and pedestrian types.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5677
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Funding: $350,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 15-86

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Zhao, Yi

• Start Date: 20250211
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crosswalks; Decision making; Highway design; Pedestrians; Sight distance; Visibility
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01919458
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 15-86
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 23 2024 10:06AM