For many jurisdictions, a circulation plan is a typical requirement of development review. Pedestrian circulation should be included as a part of the development plan whether the new development proposal is for a site, subdivision or a master planned community. Depending on the size of the proposed development, the pedestrian plan should address direct and walkable access to pedestrian destinations, pass-throughs to reduce the distance between destinations, and an overall plan that considers walking distances. The pedestrian circulation plan should identify pedestrian accommodations throughout the site and pay particular attention to intersections, and access to transit and community destinations such as schools, parks, shopping, and adjacent developments.
Use the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities in combination with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Pedestrian Warrant system to help determine the need for traffic signals.
The AASHTO Guide for the Planning, Design and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities was recently re-written and focuses on identifying effective measures for accommodating pedestrians on public rights-of-way. The MUTCD manual is commonly used to set speed limits and identify appropriate traffic control devices. Both publications include guidance on pedestrian warrants. A pedestrian warrant system is a process for determining when and where traffic devices such as traffic signals, stop signs, pedestrian bridges, and yields, are "warranted".
These manuals describe how to set the timing of traffic lights based on the travel speed of the average pedestrian. According to a study conducted by FHWA using the 4 feet per second average pedestrian walking speed, 78 percent of pedestrians would have to increase their normal speed to cross the street before the signal changes. Because these guidelines advocate universal design, the low end of the average pedestrian walking speed, 2.8 feet per second, should be the measure for setting signal timing.
In places that have sufficient latent demand to be considered a destination, or in school zones, consideration may also be given to walking speeds of even slower than 2.8 feet per second. For example, studies have shown that while 4 feet (1.2m) per second is the median speed of pedestrians, at crosswalks where people are crossing in a group, this speed slows.
In interviews conducted during the course of the 1995 study, many pedestrians complained that they could not get across the street before the "Don't Walk" signal flashed. While it is the intent of the flashing signal to merely warn pedestrians that they should not start across the street, the pedestrians interviewed exhibited a clear misunderstanding of this intent. Better education or modification of the system needs to be done to more closely align the intent of the signal, with the understanding of the pedestrian.
