Changes in Safety Performance on Single-Carriageway Roads After Installation of Additional Lighting at Pedestrian Crossing

Robert Ziółkowski, Heriberto Pérez-Acebo (), Hernán Gonzalo-Orden and Alaitz Linares-Unamunzaga
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Robert Ziółkowski: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Sciences, Białystok University of Technology, Wiejska 45E, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Heriberto Pérez-Acebo: Mechanical Engineering Department, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Rafael Moreno Pitxitxi, 2, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Hernán Gonzalo-Orden: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Burgos, c/Villadiego, s/n, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Alaitz Linares-Unamunzaga: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Burgos, c/Villadiego, s/n, 09001 Burgos, Spain

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Pedestrian safety is a critical concern worldwide, as pedestrians account for nearly a quarter of all road crash deaths. In Poland, in the last decade, the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents varied from 25 to 30% of all road accident victims each year. A similar tendency is observed in EU countries, but the average number of pedestrian fatalities is lower and amounts to 20%. Numerous activities have been undertaken to improve the safety of vulnerable road users. Land planning plays a crucial role in enhancing pedestrian safety. Effective land-use planning can mitigate risks by integrating pedestrian-friendly infrastructure into urban design. Numerous measures have been implemented to improve the safety of vulnerable road users, including education campaigns, speed reduction measures, and infrastructure enhancements. One of the latest initiatives involves enhancing the visibility of pedestrian crossings through the installation of additional lighting systems. In order to assess the effects of the undertaken activities, a number of zebra crossings with and without additional luminance were investigated. Crash data gained from police statistics, along with the calculated crash rates (CRs), were utilized to evaluate changes in safety performance at selected crosswalks. For this purpose, a „before–after” method was applied. Importantly, the research results did not show a clear impact of additional lighting on reducing the number of road crashes and they highlight that other factors, including the geometric characteristics of crossings and their location and proximity to land uses generating significant pedestrian traffic, significantly influence crash rates.

Keywords: pedestrian crossings; road safety; crash rate; additional lighting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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