Identification of Factors Associated with Pedestrian Walking Speed in Georgia
Disciplines
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In 2021, the NHTSA found that about 7,400 pedestrians died in crashes on public roads, mostly around retail spaces and roads with higher speed limits. Walking speeds are an important part of pedestrians' safety. These speeds let the Transportation Professionals determine the signal timings for crosswalks to let pedestrians safely cross the road. Typically, the speed value to determine the length of crosswalk times is the 15th percentile. Many characteristics are important when determining walking speed, such as the day of the week, weather, gender, trip purpose, and distractions that may affect the walking speeds of pedestrians. This study aimed to study three different factors and see how walking speed and pedestrian characteristics relate. Using a timer, the walking speeds of students at three locations at Kennesaw State University were determined. The characteristics studied include location, gender, and distractions. The distractions that may influence walking speed are phone calls, the use of headphones, screen times, and no distractions. It was found that the 15th percentile walking speed was 1.03 m/s, and the average speed was 1.29 m/s, which is consistent with other studies. Using cross-classification, it was found that there was only a relationship between location and walking speed. There was no relationship between gender and walking speeds as male and female walkers tended to walk at the same speeds. All speeds had more non-distracted walkers than distracted walkers; however, it was found that there was no relationship between distractions and pedestrian speed. The findings of this study could be used to improve the safety of pedestrians and as a result, reduce the number of pedestrian crashes.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Civil and Environmental Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Sunanda Dissanayake
Identification of Factors Associated with Pedestrian Walking Speed in Georgia
In 2021, the NHTSA found that about 7,400 pedestrians died in crashes on public roads, mostly around retail spaces and roads with higher speed limits. Walking speeds are an important part of pedestrians' safety. These speeds let the Transportation Professionals determine the signal timings for crosswalks to let pedestrians safely cross the road. Typically, the speed value to determine the length of crosswalk times is the 15th percentile. Many characteristics are important when determining walking speed, such as the day of the week, weather, gender, trip purpose, and distractions that may affect the walking speeds of pedestrians. This study aimed to study three different factors and see how walking speed and pedestrian characteristics relate. Using a timer, the walking speeds of students at three locations at Kennesaw State University were determined. The characteristics studied include location, gender, and distractions. The distractions that may influence walking speed are phone calls, the use of headphones, screen times, and no distractions. It was found that the 15th percentile walking speed was 1.03 m/s, and the average speed was 1.29 m/s, which is consistent with other studies. Using cross-classification, it was found that there was only a relationship between location and walking speed. There was no relationship between gender and walking speeds as male and female walkers tended to walk at the same speeds. All speeds had more non-distracted walkers than distracted walkers; however, it was found that there was no relationship between distractions and pedestrian speed. The findings of this study could be used to improve the safety of pedestrians and as a result, reduce the number of pedestrian crashes.