To go or not to go

Pedestrian safety is a major concern at signalized intersections because of an increased likelihood of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts. The objective of this study was to examine the factors possibly influencing the likelihood that a pedestrian would cross against the signal at an intersection. In Seattle, Washington, 800 pedestrians were observed at six intersections. Examined factors included gender, weather, the number of times the call button was pushed, the impact of other pedestrians at the crosswalk, and whether pedestrians returned to push the button. The model was also adjusted for differences in each intersection attributable to volume-to-capacity ratio, cycle lengths, and location. The findings from a logistic regression model showed that females were more likely to wait for a "Walk" signal than were males and that people were more likely to wait for a "Walk" signal when other pedestrians were at the intersection. Pedestrians were more likely to wait for the light to indicate the "Walk" signal if they pushed the button. This study suggests that the type of pedestrian call buttons placed at intersections may need to be tailored to the location and to the willingness of individuals to trust that the push button will activate a green pedestrian signal. Therefore, feedback on whether the push button is activated could be quite useful and should be further explored.