Pedestrian Impressions of Distracted, Aggressive, and Safe Walking Behaviors

iii Despite the attention that walking continues to receive as a means to promote health, ease traffic congestion, and reduce carbon emissions, the attitudes and feelings that pedestrians themselves have regarding walking have largely been ignored. To address this gap in research 268 college students participated in a study to assess their feelings as pedestrians. The general aim of the study was to determine pedestrian appraisals of safety and countermeasure efficacy at varying levels of intersection threat and different driver behaviors. Participants viewed intersections of varying threat levels (2-lane with 25MPH speed limit, 4-lane with 35MPH speed limit, and 4-lane with median with 45MPH speed limit) with different behaviors being exhibited by drivers travelling through the intersection (safe behaviors, distracted behaviors, and aggressive behaviors). Using the framework of the theory of planned behavior and the component process model of appraisal a questionnaire instrument was designed to assess pedestrians ’ feelings of safety, driver threat, control, and violation of social norms at intersections as well as the opinions of the efficacy of design, control, enforcement, an