Evaluation of Innovative Safety Treatments. Volume 5: A Study of the Effectiveness of Countdown Pedestrian Signals

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the Broward County Traffic Engineering Division and the City of Boca Raton replaced traditional pedestrian signals at eight intersections located in the South Florida area with countdown pedestrian signals. The countdown pedestrian signal is comprised of the same three indications as the conventional pedestrian signal. The flashing “Don’t Walk” indication, however, is complemented by an illuminated number indicating the number of seconds before the steady “Don’t Walk” indication will be illuminated and thus provides feedback to pedestrians on the time remaining in their crossing. By advising the pedestrian of the remaining seconds before the “Don’t Walk” indication will be illuminated, the pedestrian can make a decision on his or her ability to safely cross the street in the available time. As such, the countdown signals are expected to improve compliance with pedestrian indications and enhance pedestrian safety. A before and after evaluation methodology was utilized to determine the effectiveness of countdown pedestrian signals by comparing pedestrian behavior data collected before and after the installation of countdown pedestrian signals. Several measures of effectiveness (percentage of pedestrians initiating crossing during “Walk,” flashing “Don’t Walk” and steady “Don’t Walk” indications, and the percentage of successful crossings) were evaluated. The results of this evaluation indicated that the pedestrian countdown signals were effective in increasing the percentage of successful crossings and decreasing the percentage of pedestrians who initiate crossing during the flashing “Don’t Walk” indication. However, the percentage of pedestrians entering during the steady “Don’t Walk” indication increased at some locations. Since the results are based on only eight intersections, further research is recommended to confirm the findings from this study. In addition, it is recommended that pedestrian crash data at the study intersections be compared once sufficient crash data for the after period become available to quantify the impacts of countdown signals on pedestrian safety.