Analysis of Pedestrian Crossing Behavior at Pedestrian Crossings in Shah Alam City, Malaysia

The objective of this study is the development of pedestrian crossing choice models in relation to roadway design, traffic flow and traffic control. This paper also analyzed the pedestrian crossing behavior based on pedestrian‟s gender and age group. The data used in the study were collected through a questionnaire survey of 663 pedestrians aged from 13 to 75 years old at eight different areas in Shah Alam City. The areas were selected according to the different types of land uses, such as city centers, commercial districts and outlying districts. This study has discovered a significant relationship between different age group and genders of pedestrians in relation to crossing behavior. In terms of age group, this study found that older pedestrian prefers to cross the pedestrian in group compare to younger pedestrian. Majority of pedestrians in the 56-75 age group prefer to walk slowly compared to the majority of the 18-35 age group pedestrians who prefer to walk a bit fast. There was a significant relationship between the gender and the size of the pedestrian crossing group which showed that females prefer to cross the pedestrian in group compare to male pedestrians. In terms of the regularity of crossing at non-designated crosswalk between male and female, male pedestrian recorded more „often‟ and „almost always‟ crossed at non-designated crosswalk compares to female pedestrian. The analysis of pedestrian crossing behavior in urban areas also may assist in understanding the way pedestrians interact with road and traffic environment, as well as with other pedestrians. It may also help to understand the way they balance the need for comfort and safety at the cost of delays, within the framework of existing traffic rules.