The continuing evolution of pedestrian walking speed assumptions

A close look at currently available walking speed values and standards reveals a 4.0 ft./sec. "normal" or average walking speed gradually morphing into a 4.0 ft./sec. design speed for the pedestrian clearance interval, with slower speeds suggested only for special situations in which an unspecified number of elderly pedestrians are expected to cross. In some cases, many slow pedestrians are not able to complete their crossing before opposing traffic is released. Addressing this concern, the recommendation is for both the draft accessible guidelines and MUTCD to use a 3.5 ft./sec. minimum walking speed across the street itself for determining the pedestrian clearance interval and a 3.0 ft/sec. walking speed across the total crossing distance for the entire walk plus pedestrian clearance signal phasing. In any case, the minimum walk signal indication still should be 4 sec. Language: en