Road safety risk assessment at pedestrian crossings: a case study from Sułkowice

Abstract

Pedestrians are vulnerable road users; therefore, they require special attention. In the pedestrian infrastructure, the greatest risk involves pedestrian crossings because they are the conflict points with vehicular traffic. A method to assess pedestrian crossing infrastructure in terms of road safety is presented. The method involves observation of the associated infrastructure and environment, as well as measurements of vehicular and pedestrian behaviour. The assessment involved 17 pedestrian crossings along a main road in the town of Sułkowice, Poland, with the aim of demonstrating the universality of the procedure. Only two of the crossings were found to have the lowest risk, while five were considered as high risk; none was assigned the highest risk score.

Keywords

• risk assessment
• pedestrian road safety
• pedestrian crossing