The Effect of Weather on Pedestrian Activity at Signalized Intersections in Utah

The weather has a significant influence on pedestrian activity. Profound knowledge and research can identify how weather variables impact and why people change their travel patterns. This study aims to assess the relationship of weather (snowfalls, snow depth, precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature) with pedestrian activity at 49 signalized intersections in Cache County, Utah. This study uses pedestrian actuation (push-button) data as a proxy for pedestrian activity and collects weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA). Using 15 months of daily time-series data, this study applied log-linear time series models in the analysis. To account for non-linear effects, categorical step-wise weather variables were used. The findings reveal most of the signals have significant effects on the weather on pedestrian activity. Snow depth, snowfalls, and the maximum temperature had the largest effects at most of the locations. Besides, very cold temperatures (\u3c 10ºF) were negatively associated with pedestrian activity at some locations. Precipitation had a negative effect on walking levels, but at only a few signals. The relationship between weather and walking is non-linear rather than linear. Also, pedestrian activity is affected more by weather in urban areas compared to suburban areas. These findings have implications in multimodal transportation planning(winter maintenance, shade trees, etc.) and traffic signal operations