Analysis of pedestrian walking speed for traffic engineering design and operations

Walking speed is a key input for various traffic engineering applications. This research investigates the normal and crossing walking speed of pedestrians at urban signalized intersections. The research considers the following pedestrian groups: (1) younger pedestrians (ages 20 to 64); (2) older pedestrians (ages 65 and older); and (3) older pedestrians using assistive devices for mobility.;This research defines normal walking speed as the speed at which pedestrians walk when they go about their daily activities without needing to cross a given intersection; and crossing walking speed as the speed at which pedestrians walk when crossing a signalized intersection.;This research was conducted to understand the difference between normal and crossing walking speed of pedestrians at signalized intersections, and to determine the effect of seasonality on walking speed, taking into account age, gender and the use of assistive devices for mobility such as walkers and canes.;The research found that in all cases the normal walking speed is lower than the crossing walking speed. It also found for pedestrians who do not need assistive devices for mobility that younger pedestrians walk faster than older pedestrians, regardless of season and gender, and females walk slower than males regardless of season and age. However, there are no gender differences in the walking speed when pedestrians use walkers or canes for mobility. Furthermore, both younger and older pedestrians have a greater normal walking speed in summer than in winter but lower crossing speed in summer than in winter. In the case of older pedestrians using walkers or canes there are no seasonal differences in the normal walking speed, although the crossing walking speed is higher in winter than in summer.;In addition, the research also found that using a design value of 1.2 m/s (4.0 ft/s), as recommended in the current U.S. Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), nearly two-thirds of older pedestrians would be excluded in the design process based on their normal walking speed, and about 40 percent would be excluded based on their crossing walking speed. Furthermore, almost all older pedestrians needing walkers or canes for mobility would be excluded in the design process using a design value of 1.2 m/s (4.0 ft/s). Regarding younger pedestrians, the 1.2 m/s (4.0 ft/s) excludes nearly one-third of pedestrians based on their normal walking speed, and about 10 percent based on their crossing walking speed.