Abstract:
Traffic accidents involving pedestrians have become a major safety problem in most of
the developing countries particularly in Ethiopia. The majority of pedestrian accidents
primarily occur in urban areas. The main objective of this study was to evaluate
pedestrian behavior at the different road crossing facilities in Gambella town. Data
collection was done through questionnaires, interviews, and field observations. A 95%
confidence level was selected with a corresponding critical p value of 0.05. Pearson
correlation test was used to identify the major factors affecting the pedestrian behavior
within the road crossing facilities. From Pearson correlation, crosswalk surface
condition, crosswalk marking visibility, road width, lane width, number of lanes,
crosswalk holding area, and curbside parking were found significantly affecting the
pedestrian behavior within the road crossing facilities. Multiple linear regression model
was developed to evaluate the influence of road crossing parameters on the movement of
pedestrian. Except for road width, all the predictors were found statistically significant to
predict the movement of pedestrian. Crosswalk surface condition, crosswalk marking
visibility and crosswalk holding area were positively correlated with the movement of
pedestrian while lane width, number of lanes and curb side parking were negatively
correlated with the movement of pedestrian. Field observation was conducted on each
crosswalk of existing intersection. From field observation, poor crosswalk surface
condition, inadequate holding area, invisible crosswalk marking, curb side parking, lack
of accessible curb ramp, curb cut, zebra crossing, raised median and splitter island were
found as the geometric deficiencies of the intersections. Remedial measures were
suggested for poor crosswalk surface, inadequate holding area, curb side parking and
invisible crosswalk marking. For lack of accessible curb ramp, curb cut, zebra crossing,
raised median and splitter island, AutoCAD was used to draw the geometry of each
crosswalk of intersection.
