Pelican crossings had not previously been used in Victoria and Puffin crossings had never been used anywhere in Australia. Evaluations were performed at two existing installations which were converted to Pelican operation and Puffin operation respectively. Observations of vehicle and pedestrian movements at the two sites were made using video recordings and on-the-spot observers. Very large reductions in vehicle delay were found for both the Pelican and the Puffin crossings. A significant increase in the potentially dangerous practice of vehicles entering the crossing past a stationary vehicle was observed at the Pelican site. This practice is permitted in Victoria but will be prohibited when the Australian when the Australian Road Rules are implemented. Some pedestrian calls were cancelled at the Puffin site when pedestrians unintentionally stepped out of the detection area on the footpath, and it may be necessary to drop the call cancellation facility from future Puffins. (A)
Abstract