This paper describes the current criteria used to determine the need for traffic control at school crossings. It discusses the background and assumptions used in establishing these current criteria and points out a few of its deficiencies. Based on this assessment, a methodology is proposed that is intended to improve on the current criteria. This methodology has the advantages of enabling more equitable treatment of vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well as allowing for easier application. The current procedure for determining the need for traffic signal control is based on a field study technique that yields the length of time needed by pedestrians to cross the street and the frequency with which gaps of this duration occur in the vehicular traffic stream. The proposed procedure is similar to the current procedure; however, by assuming that the distributions of pedestrian and vehicular arrivals are random, time-dependent processes, the Poisson distribution can be used to estimate the gap duration and its frequency of occurrence. The intent of this approach is to eliminate the need to conduct a field study at locations where the assumption of random arrivals is valid. As a result of this investigation, a procedure is proposed that incorporates the intent of the current procedure but is much simpler to apply. Additional criteria have been added that address the issue of interruption of pedestrian flows and the need for a minimum pedestrian volume. The goal of this procedure is to provide a means of ensuring the uniform application of traffic control devices and to avoid the unnecessary installation of traffic signals.
Samenvatting