Evaluation of Pedestrian Safety Measures

To improve pedestrian safety at selected problematic intersections, the City of Chicago tested two devices to highlight the presence of pedestrians in the urban landscape: hardened center lines and curb line bump-outs. The City selected five intersections along the State Street corridor to implement these safety measures. The measures make drivers more conscious of pedestrians at intersections by widening vehicle turns which increases the visibility of pedestrian crossing and waiting areas. The bump-outs also provide pedestrian refuge areas and shorten the street crossing times. This study used video footage of the intersections to measure the effectiveness of the new measures. By evaluating the footage, researchers were able to determine the turning radii of vehicles and the drivers’ yielding behavior to pedestrians. This data was then compared to values taken before the installation. After evaluating both sets of data, the researchers found drivers made more cautious and controlled turns, ensuring safer interactions with pedestrians