Table 2.
Summary of PCM analysis of pedestrian crossing behaviours and safety recommendations.
| Finding from PCM analysis | Impact on pedestrian safety | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Mental discomfort caused by cyclists on the footpath | Creates discomfort for the pedestrians in an already constricted and crowded footpath | Have public safety campaigns/educate cyclists to make people aware of this issue and the safety implications |
| Negative/shortcut attitudes of pedestrians | Although there is a footbridge in front, they may not use it for crossing the road; absence of enforcement, and poor footbridge quality (and other attribute) encourages street-level crossing | Enforcement by police, education campaigns to create mass awareness about the safety benefits; strict punishment needs to be enforced for irregular/random risky road crossing and social awareness campaigns need to be undertaken |
| Waste on footpaths | Compels pedestrians to walk on active road instead of on the footpath | Resource the regular cleaning of footpaths |
| Undulating and constricted footpath | Pedestrians prefer to use road to walk on comfortably | Non-standard footpaths should be designed and constructed following standard guidelines (being a developing country, there is no established geometric design standards, however, project consultants mostly follow guidelines as per AASHTO, 2018, Manual, 2016 etc.) and regular maintenance must be ensured |
| Large poster / advertisement boards on footpath | Distracts pedestrian’s line of sight | No paper, posters or advertisement boards blocking the pedestrian’s line of sight should be allowed to be installed |
| Heavily crowded footpath | Huge contraflow of pedestrians, results in pushing by other pedestrians, encourages leaving the footpath | Pedestrian footpath should be widened to ensure satisfactory level of service |
| Inappropriate design, location, rise-tread ratio, wet, slippery footbridge | Pedestrians show less interest in using footbridge and instead cross at street level | No soil stacks and other wastes can/should be dumped on/around and beneath the footpath/bridge, resource regular cleaning of stairs; footbridge needs be located at an appropriate location/aligning pedestrian origin–destination lines and designed and maintained in a way that use is appealing |
| Presence of electric posts, pillars, vendors, floating shops on footpath | Constricts the footpath leaving little or no usable space for pedestrians | No posts, pillars, temporary and permanent shops should not be allowed on footpaths; conflicting use of footpath should be strictly enforced |
| No systematic approach to board buses | Everyone remains standing on footpath and makes the footpath crowded/ blocked | Designated places such as bus bays for the loading–unloading of passengers, with waiting facilities; instead of boarding in groups, queue discipline should be maintained complying first in first out (FIFO) based queue discipline |
| Rolling behaviour on road in road crossing/random crossing | Walk/cross the road in a zigzag pattern | Enforcement of law by enforcing agencies so that pedestrians follow traffic rules; picket railing/barrier should be in-place on footpath edge and as well as on the divider/median; signal should be made functional and pedestrian signal phase including all-red period should be included |
| Damaged footpath | Compels pedestrians to walk on active road instead of on the footpath | Develop a database of footpath faults and prioritise the worst ones for repair |
| Storage and dumping of construction materials on footpath | Constricts the footpath leaving little or no usable space for pedestrians | Introduce fines for construction workers who are caught putting construction materials on the footpath |
| Parking of vehicles on/around the footpath | Constricts the footpath leaving little or no usable space for pedestrians | Restriction on parking on/near the footpath; vehicles should be fined if they do not comply |
| No traffic or pedestrian signal | In order to cross the road, pedestrians are forced to stop vehicles by showing hand and crossing through group action | Provide a designated time and space for the movement/crossing of pedestrians |
| Following social norms | Risky road crossing behaviour encourages others to get involved in similar risky manoeuvres (peer influence) | Impose restrictions on between-vehicle crossing, and incorporate a dedicated signal time for pedestrians |
| Platoon action of pedestrians | Pedestrians force incoming vehicles to stop and cross the road in a platoon | Allow pedestrians to cross only when they get signal to cross |
| Disrespect for rules | Pedestrians do not follow any rules, they stop vehicles signalling by hand and start crossing roads | Appropriate and user-friendly design of footpath, regular cleaning of footbridge and safe footpath landing must be ensured; design should be inclusive and proportionate based on pedestrian flow demand and level of service |