Microsimulated Comparisons of Alternative Signalized Pedestrian Crossings

Four different signalized pedestrian crossing technologies are analyzed using the VISSIM micro-simulation tool. The objective is to study how changing the crossing type affects various measures of effectiveness for both vehicles and pedestrians. A simple network with a single junction is coded with two different pedestrian compliance levels. Two different approaches are taken for simulating pedestrian behavior in VISSIM, with and without interactions between pedestrians. In addition, various methods are included for modeling pedestrian compliance with signal instructions, by assuming in one case that 80% of pedestrians continue to cross for a limited time after a red signal is shown. Data is generated for travel times, travel distances, delay and the number of stops. Results are presented with a discussion on the suitability of the various pedestrian crossing approaches, based on the measures of effectiveness calculated from the simulations.