Observational Study of Pedestrian Behavior Along a Signalized Urban Corridor

This paper explores pedestrian behavior and interaction between motorized and non-motorized modes along an urban arterial corridor separating a major university campus from an urban business district. The analysis focuses on behavior at signalized crossings along the corridor and investigates mid-block jaywalking trends. The analysis shows evidence of frequent pedestrian non-compliance, both in terms of utilization of the crosswalks and the WALK phase at signalized crossings. Non-compliance at both signals and midblock locations were related to signal phase indications and expected wait times of pedestrians. The results are significant in light of operational analyses of these types of urban corridors, especially with respect to modern microsimulation analysis tools requiring assumptions about pedestrian behavior and its relation to traffic control and vehicle interaction.