Enhancing Pedestrian Volume Estimation and Developing HCM Pedestrian Methodologies for Safe and Sustainable Communities (2022)

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9 Chapter 1. Background Overview This final report documents the work conducted by NCHRP Project 17-87, “Enhancing Pedestrian Volume Estimation and Developing HCM [Highway Capacity Manual] Pedestrian Methodologies for Safe and Sustainable Communities.” It consists of the following chapters and appendices:  Chapter 1, Background, provides the research problem statement that led to this project and summarizes the project’s work scope.  Chapter 2, State of the Practice, summarizes the findings of the project’s literature review and stakeholder interviews. It also describes the process used to identify and select the research activities conducted during Phase II of the project.  Chapter 3, Research Approach, describes the process used to conduct original research on the following topics: – Comparing pedestrian satisfaction with their crossing experience at crossings with and without selected pedestrian safety countermeasures, – Correcting identified issues with the HCM’s pedestrian delay estimation procedure for uncontrolled crossings when motorists yield to pedestrians, – Expanding the HCM’s pedestrian delay estimation procedure for signalized intersections to address a greater range of potential scenarios and applications, and – Investigating network-level measures of pedestrian QOS.  Chapter 4, Findings and Applications, presents the results of the project’s original research.  Chapter 5, Conclusions and Suggested Research, suggests potential future research and implementation activities to continue expanding the state of the practice.  Chapter 6, References, lists the source material referenced in this report.  Appendix A summarizes the results of the literature review.  Appendix B presents detailed results from the stakeholder interviews.  Appendix C presents details about the research approach.  Appendix D provides research problem statements for original research activities within the project scope that were considered but ultimately not selected to be conducted during Phase II of the project. The project also produced the following stand-alone deliverables not included in this final report:  NCHRP Research Report 992: Guide to Pedestrian Analysis (Ryus et al. 2022), which provides a practitioner-friendly resource for pedestrian analysis, covering the following topics: pedestrian volume counting, pedestrian safety analysis, pedestrian operations analysis, and pedestrian QOS analysis. Given the recent advances in the state of the practice in many of these areas, the guidebook provides both experienced and new analysts with information about the range of resources and tools available for conducting pedestrian analyses.  Proposed chapter revisions to HCM (TRB 2016) content related to pedestrian delay and level of service (LOS) at signalized and uncontrolled crossings, along with corresponding revisions to the companion Planning and Preliminary Engineering Applications Guide to the Highway Capacity Manual (PPEAG) (Dowling et al. 2016).

10  Implementation material that includes presentations and a video introducing the guidebook (these are available on the TRB website, www.trb.org; search on NCHRP Research Report 992). Research Problem Statement Background In 2015, 5,376 pedestrians were killed and an estimated 70,000 were injured in traffic crashes in the United States (NHTSA 2017). Pedestrian deaths accounted for 15% of all traffic fatalities. While the majority of the fatalities occurred in urban areas, the fatality risk can be even higher in rural areas after controlling for exposure. To address this growing problem, accurate methods for estimating pedestrian volumes are needed to quantify exposure, and, in turn, evaluate the benefits of pedestrian countermeasures. Counting pedestrians is challenging, and there is a need for tools that can usefully estimate exposure when counts are unavailable or are limited in coverage (e.g., over short time periods or in few locations). Roadway designs and signal phasing that address the safety of all road users are being implemented in many cities around the country. These roadway designs include road diets, with corner bulb-outs and sidewalk extensions, addition of bike lanes, crosswalk widening, and addition of corner or median refuge areas. Currently, these treatments are not evaluated in the HCM pedestrian LOS methodologies. Objective The objective of this research is to develop scalable guidance for jurisdictions (urban, suburban, and rural) to: (1) identify techniques for efficient and accurate estimation of pedestrian volume and exposure; (2) determine field-observed factors affecting pedestrian flow at the facility levels and integrate those factors into the HCM pedestrian LOS methodology; (3) determine how pedestrian safety improvements on the roadway and in signal timing designs (e.g., sidewalk extensions, corner bulb-outs, implementing LPIs, and associated crash modification factors) should be reflected in the HCM pedestrian LOS; and (4) recommend corresponding enhancements to the current HCM methodology. The guidance also should address issues related to pedestrian volume estimation, safety risk exposure, and the relationship between HCM pedestrian LOS measures and pedestrian safety, through investigations such as, but not limited to, the following:  Whether shy distances on sidewalks remain constant or if they fluctuate based on other factors (e.g., density, presence of counter flow, frequency of obstructions);  If there are other field-observed factors (e.g., crosswalk configurations, vehicle behaviors) that might affect the pedestrian crosswalk LOS;  Extensions to the HCM pedestrian LOS methodology to accurately assess impacts of improvements such as corner bulb-outs and other pedestrian safety and comfort enhancements; and  A review of pedestrian safety analysis methodologies (e.g., crash frequency, severity prediction) for a specific roadway design and compare with the HCM pedestrian LOS analysis results.

11 Work Scope The research objectives were addressed through a work program involving the following tasks: 1. Amplified Work Plan—Refining the project work scope and schedule. 2. Literature Review—Identifying and summarizing findings from domestic and international literature on topics relevant to the project objectives. 3. Stakeholder Outreach—Engaging practitioners to gain an understanding of user needs with respect to (1) methods and tools for estimating pedestrian volumes, exposure, and QOS; (2) understanding of the effects of pedestrian safety countermeasures on pedestrian QOS; and (3) role of the HCM in evaluating pedestrian operations and QOS. This task also served to recruit participants for the subsequent Task 10 peer exchange and to initiate an ongoing dialog between the research team and the TRB Standing Committees on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service and Pedestrians. 4. State of the Practice Summary—Developing information about the state of the practice relating to efficient and accurate pedestrian volume and exposure estimation. This summary served as the basis for the volume and exposure estimation material in the project’s guidebook (Task 7). 5. Phase II Work Plan—Developing detailed work plans for potential field studies and other data collection activities addressing project objectives and gaps in knowledge that could be undertaken in Task 6. This also recommended a specific program of studies to be conducted within the available time and budget for Task 6. 6. Interim Report and Panel Meeting—Documenting the work undertaken during Phase I and meet with the project panel to discuss the Phase I results and select the specific studies to be undertaken in Task 6. 7. Field Studies and Other Data Collection—Executing the panel-approved Phase II work plan, consisting of: a. Refining and finalizing the selected Phase II task work plans and obtaining necessary Institutional Review Board approvals b. Pilot testing field data collection methods c. Conducting a naturalistic walking study d. Investigating pedestrian crossing satisfaction with median islands, RRFBs, and LPIs e. Exploring pedestrian network LOS measures f. Correcting and expanding HCM pedestrian delay methods g. Documenting Task 6 activities 8. Draft Guidance—Developing a guidance document summarizing available knowledge related to the project objectives and providing methods and tools for evaluating pedestrian flow and estimating pedestrian quality and LOS. 9. Draft HCM Pedestrian Methods—Recommending specific methods for evaluating pedestrian LOS and potentially other pedestrian performance measures for inclusion in the HCM and the HCM Planning Guide (NCHRP Report 825) and developing updated text and example problems for both documents.

12 10. Draft Implementation Materials—Preparing draft versions of materials to be used in disseminating project results and implementing project deliverables. 11. Peer Exchange and User Outreach—Holding a workshop with leading practitioners to present and discuss the draft guidebook. This task also included a TRB webinar to present the project’s results and deliverables. 12. Draft Final Report—Documenting the technical work conducted over the course of the research. 13. Final Deliverables—Delivering final versions of all key project deliverables, incorporating panel feedback on the draft versions. Chapter 2 of this report presents the work conducted during Tasks 1, 2, 4, and 5. Chapters 3 and 4 of this report present the work conducted during Task 6. This report is a product of Tasks 11 and 12 and also incorporates some material developed in Task 9 (i.e., the executive summary and the implementation plan). Work conducted during Tasks 3, 7, and 8 was incorporated into the project’s guidebook; Task 8 work was also used to develop proposed revisions to HCM and PPEAG material. The first draft of the guidebook was reviewed with leading practitioners at a peer exchange workshop held in Irvine, CA as part of Task 10.