Second Generation Accessible Pedestrian Systems
PIs: Richard Wall, Denise Bauer (UI)
Dates: 03/01/2012 – 11/01/2013
Final Project Report: PacTrans-16-UI-Bauer
As signal timing plans and intersection infrastructure get ever more complex in attempts to reduce vehicle delays at intersections, pedestrians are confronted with pedestrian operations that are shoehorned into traffic plans designed so that pedestrians have minimal impact on the travel time for vehicles. Wide-radius right turn lanes and roundabouts have long been recognized as particularly dangerous intersection designs for pedestrians. Just as traffic controllers are programmed for customized operations at each intersection, so too must the systems that interact with pedestrians be customized to provide a consistency of expectation for operations.
Without consistent expectation, pedestrians, regardless of physical capability, lose confidence in the traffic controls and eventually enter the intersection based upon their own assessment or risk. Drivers who unexpectedly find a pedestrian in the street reactively slow down, thus disrupting the flow of traffic or precipitating a rear-end crash. Even worse, the situation can evolve into a vehicle-pedestrian crash.
Modern accessible pedestrian systems require operations that can be easily and quickly customized to allow safe and reliable pedestrian access at signalized intersections. Without the ability to tune the pedestrian information for each intersection, pedestrians will be tempted to assume increased individual risks or are faced with confusing or conflicting directions resulting in unsafe actions. Our research seeks to provide direction and alert pedestrians of potential dangers in ways that are clear and quickly comprehended. The systems are intended for use by pedestrians possessing a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities.
Pedestrian buttons are no longer a simple mechanical switch that indicates to the traffic controller that someone wants to cross the street. APS buttons are now verbal and vibra-tactile traffic signals. The immediate goals are:
- Continue the development of the AAPS to unambiguously and accurately communicate the state of the visual traffic signals with a minimum of distraction.
- Investigate new technologies for assisting pedestrians with limited physical and vision abilities to safely cross at signalized intersections.
- Provide additional opportunities for intersection customization to improve safety for pedestrians at intersections.
- Assess customization capabilities and recommend practices to help traffic agency engineers and technicians to determine when, how, and where to use the advanced customized operations.
