INTERACTION BETWEEN THE MOTORIST AND
PEDESTRIAN AT SELECTED UNSIGNALISED
CROSSINGS IN BANGLADESH: A CASE STUDY
Tanvir Hossain, Mahbubur Rahman, Razu Ahmmed and
Md. Kamruzzaman Mamun
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, Gazipur-1700, Bangladesh
Abstract
In urban transportation, pedestrians form an integral part, and in a country like
Bangladesh, they may also be the most vulnerable. The interaction between the
motorist and the pedestrian at a crossing without signals plays an important role
in traffic safety. The interaction between these two groups of people (motorists
and pedestrians) is quite different in developing countries compared to
developed countries. In order to increase the safety of road users, the attitudes of
these two groups of people about crossings need to be known. In this study, a
zebra crossing without signal in front of Tejgaon Thana near Farmgate area was
chosen. Video recording was used to collect data in order to obtain a detailed
description of the interaction between motorists and pedestrians. A
questionnaire survey was also carried out among these two groups of people to
better understand their attitudes about the crossing. The results of this study are
quite alarming, it was found that there is a substantial gap between what people
think about the crossings and what they actually do. The findings of this study
suggest that a significant awareness program about the usage of crossings needs
to be implemented in order to ensure traffic safety.
INTRODUCTION
Pedestrians form an integral part of urban transportation settings. In countries
like Bangladesh, where the number of roads in urban areas is very limited
compared to the traffic volume, walking is an even more important mode of
transportation. An adequate number of safe pedestrian facilities will encourage
more people to walk, thereby reducing the already intolerable traffic congestion.
At present, although walking is the prevalent mode of transportation, it is also
the most dangerous. Accidents at road crossings often result from a lack of
understanding of the relationship between pedestrians and driver. A study by
Hine and Russell (1993) also points out the lack of knowledge of the relationship
between traffic conditions and pedestrians’ behavior at crossings without signals
is the primary cause that determines the extent of the barrier effects experience
by the pedestrians. Vehicle speed is the paramount factor in pedestrian safety.
According to Pasanen (1992), the risk of fatal injury at a collision speed of 50
km/h is almost eight times than that of 30 km/h. The relationship between the
pedestrian and the driver depends on many factors, such as the drivers’ behavior,
the pedestrians’ distance from the curb, the size of the city, the vehicle speed,
etc. (Himanen and Kulmala, 1988). The risk of accidents occurring at crossings
can be reduced greatly with an increase of communication between the
pedestrian and the driver using various forms of signs (Persson, 1988). A study
by Ibrahim et al (2005) shows that, the interaction between pedestrians and
drivers at crossings without signals are very different in developing countries
than the interaction in developed countries. Bangladesh is a developing country
with a rapid rate of increase of population in its urban regions, and most of its
road users have little knowledge of traffic rules and regulations. Thus, it was
deemed necessary to conduct a study on interactions between pedestrians and
drivers at crossings without signals. There is hardly any field study in this area,
and the results are relevant in decision making process to implement a safer
transport system. A study by Ibrahim et al (2005) and the lack of similar studies
in the Dhaka area motivate the current study.
STUDY AREA AND METHODOLOGY
The road section selected for this study is located between the intersections of
BijoySarani and Farmgate. The zebra crossing without signals was in front of the
Tejgaon Thana near the Farmgate area (Fig 1). Traffic speed was mostly in the
range of 60-70 km/h, and there were no warning signs for the drivers preceding
the crossings. However, the road markings were clearly illustrated with black
and white thermoplastic strips. Pedestrians waiting to cross the road can be seen
clearly by drivers on either side of the roadway. The width of the roadway was
measured to be 12m on each side, and it was a two way road. Video recording
was used in order to capture a more detailed description of the interactions
between drivers and pedestrians. The camera was focused on the crossings in
such a way that the entire length of the crossings, waiting islands on either side,
and a distance of about 30 m roadway were in the camera view.
The data was collected for three hours on a working day from 9.00am to
12.00pm. To describe the behavior of the drivers at the crossings, the procedures
followed in Ibrahim et al (2005) are also used in this study. Three distinct
situations were observed. First, pedestrians waited to cross on the island, while
none of the approaching vehicles stopped. Second, vehicles stopped to give way
to pedestrians. Third, pedestrians crossed the road in spite of the approaching
vehicles, thus forcing drivers to stop. Data was collected from two types of
pedestrians: ones who used the zebra crossings and ones who did not use the
zebra crossing, but instead crossed the roads very close (less than 5m) to the
zebra crossing. The speed of the pedestrians crossing the road was collected, and
comparisons were also made between the male and female drivers and
pedestrians. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted in order to find
out the drivers’ and pedestrians’ opinions of the crossings and their perception of
what they actually do. A total of 100 questionnaires (Appendix A) were
distributed amongst the drivers, asking them about their course of action when
approaching a crossing without signals. A total of 100 questionnaires were also
distributed amongst the pedestrians to find out their attitudes towards zebra
crossings.
Farmgate bound traffic
Crossing
BijoySarani bound traffic
(a)
(b)
Figure 1. (a) Unsignalised crossing in front of Tejgaon Thana (photo courtesy
Google Inc.) (b) Pedestrian using crossing to cross the road
OBSERVATION
The questionnaires as well as the video recordings were used to discover the
disparity between what the pedestrians’ and drivers’ perceptions of the function
of the crossing and their actual function. The questionnaire surveys asked both
the pedestrians and the drivers whether they understood zebra crossings and
whether they knew who has the right of way. The video recorded the actual
behavior of the pedestrians and drivers at the crossings. This section describes
the findings from these two observations.
Findings from the Questionnaire Survey
Out of 100 drivers who filled out questionnaires, 86 of them drove
buses, 6 drove cars, 2 drove motorbikes, and 6 drove human haulers. From the
survey, it was found that about 88% of the drivers understood the zebra
crossings, whereas 12% did not understand crossings. When asked whether they
would slow down for pedestrians at crossings, 74% of drivers answered
positively, and 26% answered negatively. In addition, 67% of drivers answered
that they would give the right of way to pedestrians at crossings and 33%
answered that they had the right of way. As for the recommended speed at
crossings, 60% of drivers answered correctly (20-40 km/h), 25% answered above
40 km/h, and the last 15% of the participants could not name any specific speed
limits at the crossings. However, 90% of drivers answered that they would slow
down their vehicle if pedestrians gave them a signal to stop.
The surveys conducted on the pedestrians were divided into two groups
according to gender with the assumption that gender may have an influence on
the perception about the usage of zebra crossings. Out of 100 pedestrians who
answered questionnaires, 70 were male and 30 were female. A total of 64 of
male participants responded that they understood the function of the zebra
crossings, while 6 of them answered that they did not. When asked whether they
felt safe while crossing, only 10 of the male participants responded positively,
while the rest answered negatively. The survey showed that 50 male participants
knew that they had the right of way, while the rest did not. A total of 45 male
participants reported that signaling vehicles to stop had not worked in the past,
and that they had to wait for traffic to clear in order to cross. Amongst the female
participants, 25 answered that they understood the zebra crossings. However,
only 10 of them felt safe while crossing the road using a zebra crossing, and only
these women knew who had priority. Among the female participants, 14 reported
that using hand signals to stop traffic was unsuccessful.
Findings from the Actual Video Recording
In order to find out what people actually did at zebra crossings without
signs, a three hour (9.00am to 12.00pm) video recording was performed on a
weekday. The main purpose was to determine whether drivers and pedestrians
had enough knowledge about the crossings. From the recordings, it was found
that in 75 instances, pedestrians waited on the curb, while the approaching
vehicles did not stops or slows down. In 28 instances, pedestrians waited on the
roadway itself, and the driver still did not slow down or stops. There were 15
instances where the pedestrians crossed halfway and forced drivers to stop. Out
of 265 pedestrians who crossed the road in three hours, only 118 of them used
the zebra crossings to do so. The rest of them crossed the road a distance less
than 5m from the zebra crossings. Two reasons may explain this behavior: either
pedestrians did not realize the function of the crossings, or the crossings were
located in an inconvenient place for them.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Drivers and pedestrians are both integral part of the urban transportation system.
Interactions between these two groups of road users are a key concern of
transport safety, especially in crossing without signals. For better traffic safety,
decision makers should take into account the interactions between drivers and
pedestrians. In order to get a proper insight into the behavior of drivers and
pedestrians towards each other, crossings without signals was selected and video
recorded for three hours. A questionnaire survey was also carried out to get
insight about the perceptions and opinions of these two groups of road users. In
this study, it was found that about 88% of drivers recognize zebra crossings and
67% know who gets right of way at crossings. However, from the recordings, it
was found that hardly any driver was willing to stop to give the pedestrians right
of way. This indicates that there is a large disparity between what people
perceive as the correct course of action and what they actually do. The survey
indicates that 89% of the pedestrian recognize zebra crossings, yet, from the
recordings, it was found that only 45% of pedestrians used the crossing properly.
This also indicates that there is a large gap between what people think is correct
and what they actually do.
The authors believe that the findings of this study are alarming. There is
an urgent need for a significant awareness program to be implemented. The
authors also believe that those with the authority to make decision should
immediately launch a public awareness program using all the media to reach and
teach the people about their rights and the proper use of crossings. A small
chapter about the traffic rules and regulation may also be added as part of the
curricular at the primary level education.
REFERENCES
Himanen, V. and Kumala, R., (1988), An Application of Logit Models in
Analyzing the Behavior of Pedestrians and Car Drivers on Pedestrian
Crossings, Accident Analysis and Prevention 203, pp. 187-197.
Hine, J. and Russell, J, (1993), Traffic Barriers and Pedestrian Crossing
Behavior, Journal of transport Geography.
Ibrahim, N. I., Kidwali, F. A., and Karim, M. R., (2005), Motorists and
Pedestrian Interaction at Unsignalised Pedestrian Crossing, Proceedings of
the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol. 5, pp. 120-125,
2005.
Pasanen, E. (1992), Driving Speeds and Pedestrian Safety; A Mathematical
Model, Helsinki University of Technology, Transportation Engineering,
Otaneimi, Finland.
Persson, H. (1988), Communication Between Pedestrian and Car Drivers, Lund
University, Lund, Sweden.
APPENDIX A
Questionnaires towards the driver: (Type: Car/Motorbike/Bus/Truck)
1. Do you know about the zebra crossings?
Reply: Yes/No
2. Do you stop or slow down your speed towards the zebra crossings?
Reply: Yes/No
3. Do you know whose priority is first towards the crossings?
Reply: Yes/No
4. What would be the maximum speed of vehicle towards the zebra crossings?
Reply: 20-40/Above/Unknown
5 Do you stop or slow down your car when a pedestrian signals you?
Reply: Yes/No
Questionnaires towards the pedestrians: (Gender: Male/Female)
1. Do you know about the zebra crossings?
Reply: Yes/No
2. Do you feel safe when you use zebra crossing to cross the road?
Reply: Yes/No
3. Do you know whose priority is first towards the crossings?
Reply: Yes/No
4. Does the driver stop or slow down the speed when you signaled?
Reply: Yes/No
5. Do you wait when a vehicle is approaching?
Reply: Yes/No