New Model for Total Crossing Time of Pedestrian Platoon at a Signalized Crosswalk

To calculate a pedestrian platoon's total crossing time accurately, this study considered the condition of bidirectional pedestrian interference and analyzed the following key factors: number of pedestrians, pedestrian directional split ratio, and crosswalk width and length. The study divided the total crossing time into three parts: the discharging time of a pedestrian platoon, the objective pedestrian's basic crossing time, and the frictional delay caused by pedestrians moving in the opposite direction. The latter two factors were called the crossing time. Then a model that reflected bidirectional pedestrian characteristics was established for the pedestrian platoon's total crossing time. In particular, the ratio of the number of objective pedestrians per cycle to the actual crosswalk capacity was analyzed in the model of the frictional delay. Moreover, according to traffic data from three signalized crosswalks in Changchun City, China, the congested lateral distance and comfortable lateral distance were calibrated to 1.03 m and 1.29 m, respectively. Finally, compared with the pedestrians' total crossing time in the Highway Capacity Manual (2000), the results showed that the maximum relative error was 8.33% less than that in the Highway Capacity Manual method. The model can provide a new method and a new way of thinking for traffic researchers, and it can provide a potential reference for design of pedestrian signal timing and crosswalks.