A Research Study on Pedestrian Gap Acceptance at Crosswalks Situated in Areas with Dedicated Free Left Turn Lanes: Case Study of Bang Rak Intersection Bangkok Province

Abstract

This study investigates pedestrian behavior regarding gap acceptance and rejection at crossings with continuous left-turn lanes, aiming to assess the probability of safe pedestrian crossing. Field observations were conducted, and data were analyzed using non-parametric statistics to identify factors influencing pedestrian decisions, focusing on gender and crossing direction. The critical gap was calculated to compare accepted and rejected time gaps across different groups. An exponential distribution was applied to estimate the likelihood that a time gap would meet or exceed a given threshold, considering real-time traffic volume. This was used to determine the number of usable gaps per hour, which was then compared to pedestrian volume to evaluate crossing safety. Results showed that during certain times and crossing directions, there were insufficient gaps, increasing the risk of unsafe crossings. To address this, the study recommends installing pedestrian signals, activated during periods when pedestrian demand exceeds the number of usable gaps. These findings may guide preliminary decisions on implementing pedestrian signals to enhance safety at such crossings.