Student Pedestrian Walking Speeds at Crosswalks Near Schools

The percentage of young people walking to school has decreased significantly since the 1960s. The reasons for this decline have been attributed to working parents too busy to accompany their children on a daily walk to school, parental concerns about safety from “stranger danger,” and concerns about the risks of walking routes that must cross at least one higher speed or higher volume roadway. School crossings at arterial facilities are often necessitated by the fact that newer schools are sited in peripheral locations and are not located within the heart of residential communities where sidewalks and slower traffic are expected. The objective of this study was to measure and assess the walking speeds of today’s young people who attend either an elementary, middle, or high school and to determine how their walking behavior compares with existing guidelines. The walking speed parameter is a critical component that is used to determine the duration of flashing beacons, high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) beacons, and other pedestrian-activated devices; these devices facilitate school walking routes and provide extra assurance for children and parents alike. This study concluded that the walking speeds of school-aged children, even at the 15th percentile, are generally higher than those of current guidelines, suggesting that agency practitioners have an opportunity to fine tune timing parameters to reduce delay for the motoring public while still ensuring an appropriate and necessary level of safety for school-aged children.

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