Factors explaining driver yielding behaviour towards pedestrians at courtesy crossings

• Published in: Transportation research. Part F, Traffic psychology and behaviour Traffic psychology and behaviour, 2020-08, Vol.73, p.453-469
• Main Authors: Anciaes, Paulo, Di Guardo, Giovanni, Jones, Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Automobile drivers; Behavioral decision theory; Courtesy crossings; Crossing facilities; Driver behavior; Driver behaviour; Driver courtesy; Drivers; Empirical analysis; Pedestrian crossings; Pedestrians; Ramps; Traffic accidents & safety; Transportation planning; Transportation research; Urban planning; Yielding behaviour
• ISSN: 1369-8478; 1873-5517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2020.07.006

•Courtesy crossings: no legal obligation but design encourages drivers to stop.•Stripes, colour/texture, visually narrow or raised road all increase yielding rates.•Some combinations of courtesy design elements more effective than formal crossings.•Adding stripes to an existing courtesy crossing increased yielding from 20% to 97%.•Courtesy crossings best when vehicles and pedestrian flows are small but regular. Courtesy crossings are pedestrian crossing facilities where drivers are not legally required to stop for pedestrians, but are encouraged to do so by design elements such as stripes, coloured or textured road surfaces, visual narrowings of the carriageway, and ramps. There is little empirical evidence on drivers' behaviour or guidance on how to design these crossings. This paper analysed data for 937 interactions between drivers and pedestrians at 20 crossings across England, comparing driver yielding behaviour at courtesy crossings and at zebras (marked unsignalised crossings, where drivers are legally required to stop); and identifying the design elements associated with yielding behaviour at courtesy crossings. The analysis controlled for crossing stage; characteristics and situation of pedestrians and vehicles; characteristics of the road and site; and time context. Driver yielding behaviour was analysed for each separate traffic lane that pedestrians need to cross. We found that all four design elements considered (stripes, coloured/textured surface, visual narrowing, and ramps) increased the propensity of the first vehicle to stop and of any vehicle to stop. A before-after analysis then showed that adding a new element (stripes) to a courtesy crossing led to an increase in yielding rates from 20% to 97%. Overall, we found evidence supporting the use of multiple design elements in courtesy crossings. We discuss the implications of these findings for transport policy and urban design.