Análise do comportamento de pedestres em travessias semaforizadas de Fortaleza

Abstract

During their trips on the street network, pedestrians do not limit themselves to the infrastructures destined to them. They prefer routes that are less costly in terms of time and effort, even if these increase the chance of occurring road conflicts and accidents. In addition, pedestrians are more unpredictable then drivers and tend to ignore traffic control rules. In this sense, many authors state that pedestrians’ “irregular behaviour or conduct”, characterized in this thesis by the compliance rates to traffic rules, are among the main causes of pedestrian accidents. Despite of these statements, it is believed that a significant share of that behaviour have other causes - the deficient planning and design of infrastructures. The existence of crossing facilities is of great importance to guarantee pedestrian accessibility. Nevertheless, they do not completely serve their purpose since some of the pedestrians choose to not use them or follow the current traffic control systems. Therefore, this thesis assessed the attributes of the urban environment that influence pedestrian choices during crossings. Data were collected on pedestrian crossings regarding to 540 subjects’ movements and conduct in 11 signalized intersections in Fortaleza. The analysis was conducted through the application of a discrete-choice framework based on Multinomial and Binomial Logit models. Considering the observed behaviours, approximately 70% percent used the zebra crossing, 15% used it partially and 17% did not use it. Within the people that used the zebra crossing, more than 60% did it in compliance to the traffic signal. Geometric, situational and socioeconomic aspects indicated significant influence on pedestrian crossing behaviour. These results may support the investigation of risky behaviours and improve pedestrian simulations in order to dynamically evaluate urban safety performance.