Safety implication of pedestrian crossing manoeuvres - a case study on urban roads in the New Juaben Municipality

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MAY, 2016
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Abstract
Pedestrian fatalities constitute 42% of road traffic casualties in Ghana. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of pedestrian casualties occur in the event of pedestrians crossing roads. Pedestrians’ road crossing behavior is a very important consideration for the analysis of pedestrian casualties. This study evaluates the safety implications of pedestrian crossing manoeuvre in an urbanized environment using the New Juaben Municipality as a case study. The evaluation is conducted from the perspectives of pedestrian safety records, designated crosswalk points assessment and pedestrians’ road crossing behavior at respective crosswalk points. Pedestrian safety analysis was conducted through the review of five (5) years historical crash data for the study area. Designated crosswalk assessment was conducted through an inventory survey of the crosswalk options and the analyses of the timing allocated to pedestrians at signalized crosswalks respectively. The study of pedestrian road crossing behavior was based on a users’ observational survey and interviews. Analysis of pedestrian safety records for the study area showed a comparatively lower pedestrian fatality record (16%) compared to the National and Eastern Regional pedestrian fatality proportions of 41 % and 40% of all pedestrian casualties respectively. Over 96% of the crosswalk facilities were either a zebra crosswalk or a signalized crosswalk with zebra crosswalks being the dominate type (72%). Time allocated to pedestrians at signalized crosswalks were inadequate as they experience delays in excess of forty (40) seconds at these locations. Analysis of pedestrian road crossing behavior showed that 48% of pedestrians use crosswalks correctly while 23% of pedestrians cross at non-designated locations. The study proposes a combination of measures, i.e, education on the safety benefits of designated crosswalk use and a review of crosswalk operations to improve the safety of pedestrians in the New Juaben Municipality.
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A thesis submitted to the department of civil engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Road and Transportation Engineering) College of Engineering, 2016.
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