The Feasibility of Protecting Pedestrians Adjacent to Roadways
Source: Bureau of Operations Research, New Jersey Department of Transportation
The paper finds that "the incidence of pedestrian-vehicle accidents is so minimal and scattered that a general policy for installing guiderail or other devices to protect pedestrians adjacent to roadways is unwarranted. This is especially true involving vehicles that run off the roadway. Run-off-road accidents occur more frequently at intersections in urban areas than anywhere else, but guiderail is inappropriate at these locations, because its protective qualities are reduced when it is impacted at large angles of impact. Guiderail and other appropriate devices could be installed at locations exhibiting hazardous geometric conditions and/or engineering judgment advocates the usage of such devices.
"The establishment of improved pedestrian control could possibly eliminate a major portion of the pedestrian-vehicle conflicts that occur on the roadway. A comprehensive pedestrian safety program and strict enforcement of existing pedestrian regulations could achieve such control."
