Evaluation of Pedestrian Behavior at the Different Road Crossing Facilities: A Case Study in Gambella Town

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.