1. Making it easier & safer to walk Greenlight for walkers
Raised zebra crossing
Why are we doing it?
Walk Plan eg Action 2.12, PPN
Safer to walk and convert short trips prev by vehicle to walking trips – functional trips
Making it easier and safer to walk case studies – Greenlight for
walkers and raised zebra crossings
How to make inexpensive changes to increase traffic signal
time and frequency for walkers.
Raised zebra crossings at
roundabouts result in small but significant speed reductions,
encouraging walkers to use the crossing.
20 min plus 20 min discussion of 3 talks aim for 15 slides
Kathleen Kemp
John Bartels
March 2017

2. A City of Short Trips Residents: 50% of trips less than 2km
Making Walking Count 2013 showed CoPP has among the highest rates of walking in the world, most of it for fitness & recreastion
Inner city, bayside, cultural diversity,.
50% of trips less than 2km
70% of trips less than 5km
Workers:
30% of trips less than 2km
50% of trips less than 5km

3. Complex wide arterial roads
Context for Greenlight for pedestrians
Roads wide and complex, trams, multiple-stages (some more than 60m )
Problem – insufficient time to cross, pedestrians signal not activated when there is sufficient time for them to cross
Leads to lack of compliance walkers compromising their safety
Up to 62 m

4. Prioritising Intersections
5440 walkers
4 crashes
5181 walkers
4 crashes
Identified 23 signalised intersections where people had difficulties through customer requests
Used VicRoad’s criteria to prioritise intersections including:
Proximity to CBD, cost of intervention, likelihood that intervention will reduce crashes

5. Technical expert communicated with VicRoads
Understanding behaviours
Video & surveys
Signal analysis
Technical expert communicated with VicRoads
Fund changes
Intercept surveys of 309 people using the 6 crossings to understand the problems people face crossing at signals.
Video observation of 386 people crossing two 51 m wide intersections
Only one of 205 people started all stages on green at St Kilda & Arthur
Walkers – most of us – cross against the red regularly
Compliance plummeted from 70% of first 2 stages to 8% on final two stages
Walkers appear to act on vehicle display rather than ped signals
Communicating with road authority (VicRoads) in their language using one of their respected former employees

6. Perception of crossing time
Did not say
Too short/feel rushed
Fine
Surveys of 309 people 13 Slow/Frail, 13 Use walking aid or pram
most found wait too long and crossing time too short
People who used crossing more often rated it more poorly
Perceptions of pedestrians
The majority of pedestrians reported waiting times that were ‘too long’ (65%).
When they finally received a green signal the majority complained that crossing times were ‘too short’ (59%).
Familiarity affected the general perception of crossing at the intersections.
Those who used an intersection less often were more likely to respond that the intersection was good (49%
compared to 39%) and less likely to respond poor (6% compared to 15% respectively).
Pedestrian behaviour
Pedestrians seem to be aware when it is safe to cross or not regardless of the pedestrian signal display.
Pedestrians seemed to have learned that the display of a red signal doesn’t mean it is necessarily hazardous to cross.
At Kings Way many westbound pedestrians started their crossings early against red taking advantage of a traffic signal
phase that protected them against all conflicting vehicle movements.
Slow/Frail
Walking aid or pram
No visible disability

7. Options for improving walk time
Auto-on
Longer minimum Walk
Stretchable Walk
Shorter Clearance
More Clearance into Clearance 2
Walk signal runs in more phases
Red actions are longer term and were not implemented:
Shorten distance = kerb outstand design needs civil works and accommodate other road users including people who ride a bike
Splitting stages expensive due to hardware, need for improved medians, problems with see through effect not pursued at this time
Shorten crossing distance
Split each stage

8. Additional walk time with no delay to vehicles
Clearance 1
Flashing Don't Walk (Red)
Walk (Green)
Total Clearance Time
Don't Walk (Red)
Clear 2
Start clearance
Start
Stop
Vehicle All-Red
Yellow
Intergreen
End of Phase
Vehicles
Walkers
Minimum of 5 seconds steady Don’t walk

9. Intergreen Start clearance Start Stop Walkers Clearance Time Vehicles
Extra Green
(Was Flashing Red)
Walk (Green)
Don't Walk (Red)
Don't Walk
Start clearance
Start
Stop
Vehicle All-Red
Yellow
Intergreen
End of Phase
Vehicles
Walkers
Clearance Time
Minimum of 5 seconds steady Don’t Walk
Longer minimum Walk
Stretchable Walk
Shorter Clearance
More Clearance into Clearance 2

10. Auto-On Automatic introduction of Walk
Whenever phase time is sufficient for minimum Walk & Clearance time
Prevents phase from gapping
The one improvement to make it easier and safer that was implemented at all 6x intersections parallel to traffic flow

11. Promoting Changes Celebration
Miss Sue Liew, Director of Orthopedic Surgery

12. Thanking VicRoads
Mayor and VicRoads manager had time to discuss the improvements and public support
Local school had been asking for changes for 10 years and thanked VicRoads

13. Greenlight Lessons Learned
Technical skills required
Make realistic requests for change
No guidelines for optimising traffic signals for people walking
Strength in Partnerships
Barriers: $
Resourcing
Bullet points to be 24 point size text
This is Option A for main content slides
Additional sites assessed. Providing comments to signal review.
- Feeding into structure planning for precincts

14. Raised Pavement Zebra Crossing Roundabouts
82 roundabouts exist in the City
This started a program of raising pedestrian crossings at roundabouts that a history of crashes, or significant volume of walkers and traffic, community demand due to near misses near key destinations across the City of Port Phillip.
Cost up to $250,000 in 2015/16 to retrofit
9 retrofits completed

15. The First: Cecil Street Roundabout
Talk to Stefan about constraints with VicRoads
Access South Melbourne Market
5 pedestrian crashes in 5 years
Cecil St 8,800 vehicles per day
Coventry St 2,500 vpd

16. Raised Zebra Crossings (2004)
Bullet points to be 24 point size text
This is Option A for main content slides
Zebra crossings on desire lines rather than set back from the roundabout
Set back recommended by VicRoads appears to be suitable for greenfield locations not inner city

17. Benefits of Raised Crossings
Walkers have clear priority
Walkers more likely to use crossing
Pavement at the level of footpath
Controls vehicle speed
Encourages drivers to pause
Improves safety for cyclists
Walkers rated crossings as safer
Walkers rated crossings as safer and visible (significantly higher for pedestrians than drivers)
Walkers found the crossing easier to use.

18. Raised crossings process
VicRoads permission
Major Traffic Device
Minimise offset
Significant cost to retrofit
Temporary local disruption
Drainage considerations
Contact details:
John Bartels
Kathleen Kemp