Making Intersections Safer: Using Signals and Street Design to Protect Pedestrians 
Presented by David Hurwitz, professor of transportation engineering, director of Driving and Bicycling Simulator Laboratory, and director of Kiewit Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Research 

Improving pedestrian safety continues to be critically important to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) mission to provide a safe and reliable multimodal transportation system. This research provides ODOT with refined tools to improve pedestrian safety at signalized intersections by developing enhanced guidance on when and where to implement Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPI) either solely or in conjunction with complementary treatments such as Curb Extensions (CE). The guidance was informed by four major tasks: a literature review, a conflict-based field study, a driving simulator study, and development of an LPI suitability assessment tool. This research found that CEs decrease vehicle turning speed and shift conflicts from high/medium to low severity. For conflicts involving speed, both CEs and LPIs reduced conflicts, with the addition of the CE providing additional conflict reduction. The findings from this research support ODOT’s Strategic Action Plan as well as ODOT design and practice documents.