Exploratory Analysis of Crossing Difficulties for Blind and Sighted Pedestrians at Channelized Turn Lanes

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a paired comparison study of blind and sighted pedestrians judging crossing opportunities in traffic from the roadside at three channelized turn lane (CTL) locations. It is motivated by the belief that the geometric nature of CTL facilities and the lack of signal control at the pedestrian crossing are factors that may negatively affect the delay and safety for blind pedestrians. Pedestrians waiting at the curb must judge the traffic moving in a circular motion, and they must deal with a significant amount of background traffic (i.e., noise) present at the main intersection. The findings show that crossings at all CTL crossing locations are significantly more difficult for blind pedestrians than for sighted pedestrians. Blind pedestrians tend to face a greater risk and a greater amount of delay. Furthermore, the research shows that conflicting traffic flow in the turn lane has a significant effect on crossing performance for both pedestrian groups; however, the effect of noise-generating background traffic on blind pedestrian crossings is not significant. The study also concludes that for this experiment the location of the crosswalk (in the center of the turn lane or at the downstream end) does not have a significant effect on crossing judgment performance.