Evaluation of pedestrian speed in Jordan with investigation of some contributing factors

Problem: The safe design and operation of traffic signals must allow adequa te time for pedestrians to cross safely. In Jordan, no specific guidelines exist on pedestrian speed. Rather, foreign guidelines that may not be appli cable to pedestrians in Jordan are followed. Objective: The objectives of t his research were: (a) to evaluate pedestrian crossing speed in Jordan; (b) to evaluate the effect of age, gender, distance crossed (street width), an d number of pedestrians crossing as a group (group size) on pedestrian spee d; and (c) to recommend pedestrian design speed values to represent pedestr ians in Jordan. Method: Data of nearly 3,500 pedestrian crossing operations were collected at 27 crosswalks in the Greater Amman Area. Statistical ana lyses were conducted to reveal which factors significantly contribute to pe destrians' speeds. Results: Age, gender, group size, and street width were found to significantly contribute to pedestrian speed in Jordan. Pedestrian s 21-30 years old were the fastest group of pedestrians and pedestrians ove r 65 years old were the slowest. Male pedestrians had significantly faster walking speeds than female pedestrians. Pedestrians walking as a group of t hree or more tend to be slower than when walking individually or in couples . Pedestrians crossing wider streets tend to be faster than when crossing n arrower streets. The average and 15th percentile pedestrian speeds in Jorda n were 1.34 and 1.11 m/s, respectively. In the design of traffic signals in Jordan, the 15th percentile speed of 1.11 m/s was recommended. This value is expected to accommodate at least 85% of pedestrian population. Impact on industry: In areas where older pedestrians, 65 years or older, are frequen tly encountered, a design speed of 0.97 m/s was recommended to accommodate at least 85% of this glower group. (C) 2001 National Safety Council and Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.