U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| REPORT |
| This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
 |
| Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-044 Date: October 2018 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-044 Date: October 2018 |
PDF Version (2.53 MB )
PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®
The research documented in this report was conducted as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study (ELCSI-PFS). FHWA established this PFS in 2005 to conduct research on the effectiveness of the safety improvements identified by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 500 Guides as part of the implementation of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The ELCSI-PFS studies provide a crash modification factor and benefit–cost economic analysis for each of the targeted safety strategies identified as priorities by the pooled fund–member States.
The research for this report evaluated the safety effects of two countermeasures with respect to vehicle–pedestrian crashes: the provision of protected or protected/permissive left-turn phasing and the provision of leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs). The strategies aim to improve pedestrian safety at intersections. Study results indicate the left-turn phasing countermeasure reduced vehicle–vehicle injury crashes but did not significantly reduce vehicle–pedestrian crashes, and the LPI countermeasure reduced vehicle–pedestrian crashes. This document is intended for safety engineers; highway designers, planners, and practitioners at State and local agencies involved with the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan implementation; and those with interests in greater intersection safety.
James S. Pol, P.E., PMP
Acting Director, Office of Safety
Research and Development
Notice
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.
The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.
Quality Assurance Statement
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.
Technical Report Documentation Page
| 1. Report No.
FHWA-HRT-18-044 |
2. Government Accession No.
|
3 Recipient's Catalog No.
|
||
| 4. Title and Subtitle
Safety Evaluation of Protected Left-Turn Phasing and Leading Pedestrian Intervals on Pedestrian Safety |
5. Report Date
October 2018 |
|||
| 6. Performing Organization Code
|
||||
| 7. Author(s)
Elissa Goughnour, Daniel Carter, Craig Lyon, Bhagwant Persaud, Bo Lan, Piljin Chun, Ian Hamilton, and Kari Signor |
8. Performing Organization Report No.
|
|||
| 9. Performing Organization Name and Address
VHB |
10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
|
|||
| 11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-13-D-00001 |
||||
| 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
U.S. Department of Transportation |
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Safety Evaluation; August 2014–August 2018 |
|||
| 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
HRDS-30 |
||||
| 15. Supplementary Notes
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety Research and Development (R&D) managed this study under the Development of Crash Modification Factors Program. The FHWA Office of Safety R&D Contracting Officer’s Program and Task Manager was Ann Do (HRDS-30). |
||||
| 16. Abstract
The objective of the study was to evaluate the safety effects of two countermeasures with respect to vehicle–pedestrian crashes—the provision of protected or protected/permissive left-turn phasing and the provision of leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs)—using a before–after empirical Bayesian methodology. The study used data from North American cities that had installed one or both of the countermeasures of interest, including Chicago, IL; New York City, NY; Charlotte, NC; and Toronto, ON. This study showed that the provision of protected left-turn phasing reduced vehicle–vehicle injury crashes but did not produce statistically significant results for vehicle–pedestrian crashes overall. A disaggregate analysis of the effect of protected or protected/permissive left-turn phasing on vehicle–pedestrian crashes indicated that this strategy may be more beneficial when there are higher pedestrian and vehicle volumes, particularly above 5,500 pedestrians per day. At these high-volume locations, the left-turn phasing evaluation resulted in a potential benefit–cost (B/C) ratio range of 1:15.6::1:38.9. The evaluation of LPIs showed that the countermeasure reduced vehicle–pedestrian crashes. This evaluation produced a crash modification factor of 0.87 with a potential B/C ratio range of 1:207::1:517. |
||||
| 17. Key Words
Leading pedestrian interval, left turn, pedestrian, low-cost, safety improvements, empirical Bayesian |
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service, |
|||
| 19. Security Classification (of this report) Unclassified |
20. Security Classification (of this page) Unclassified |
21. No. of Pages
86 |
22. Price
|
|
| Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) | Reproduction of completed page authorized |
