Investigating the Pedestrian Crossing Recognition and Detection on Chiang Mai Municipal Roads

Abstract

At present, various engineering measures have been installed at pedestrian crossings on urban roads to better guide and warn drivers of the locations of pedestrian crossings. For example, crossing pavement markings. pedestrian crossing signs, pedestrian warning signs, advance stop lines, optical speed bars, flashing warning lights, and traffic signals have been used more widely in Thailand. However, the effectiveness of such measures on drivers' recognition and detection of pedestrian crossings has not been extensively investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the drivers’ recognition and detection of pedestrian crossings from different measures on urban roads in the Chiang Mai municipality area. The study investigated the drivers’ detection distance of pedestrian crossings using video analysis while approaching pedestrian crossings during both daytime and nighttime. Detection distance is among the indicators that reflect the ability of measures to warn and guide the drivers to the pedestrian crossings. The results of this study found that detection distances were influenced by the time of day and the type of measure. During the night, the average detection distance was lower than during the day. The measure with the longest detection distance was the traffic signal, which had a distance of 87.9 meters. The measure with the shortest detection distance was the pedestrian crossing sign, which had a distance of 52.7 meters.