Factors Influencing Road User Behaviors and Motivations Around Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons and Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons in North Carolina

The safety and operational effectiveness of pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs) and rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) are well established. However, their performance depends on pedestrians actuating these traffic control devices before crossing. Past research has mostly evaluated drivers yielding to these devices using staged crossing protocols. Further research studying how real-world pedestrians and drivers use these devices is needed. We use field video footage data to investigate factors linked to road user behaviors at pedestrian crossings and a survey of pedestrian attitudes and motivations at urban locations in North Carolina. Among other findings, we found evidence of a link between pedestrian refuges and increased actuation and yield rates, whereas pedestrian and driver behaviors worsen at crossings where a sidewalk is absent on one side. We found higher odds of yielding for PHBs, while pedestrians were less likely to actuate those devices compared with RRFBs. In general, factors such as increased traffic and longer crossing distances were associated with more actuations. Survey responses indicated that conditions and roadway elements that increase friction or safety risk during the crossing (heavy traffic, fast cars, and longer crossing distances) motivate pedestrians to actuate the devices more frequently. A comparison of pedestrian waiting times showed that pedestrians experienced 52.0% shorter wait times at actuated RRFBs compared with actuated PHBs, a finding that might help explain the higher rates of actuation at RRFB sites.