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Problem

A high number of conflicts between pedestrian and vehicles were occurring at busy downtown intersections.

Background

The residential population of Beverly Hills is about 35,000. However, the daytime population is estimated at about 150,000, mostly concentrated in the Business District, which is informally called the “Business Triangle.” Daytime pedestrian activity is very heavy in the Business District due to the concentration of businesses and services and the high volume of tourists visiting the area around famous Rodeo Drive. The primary concern for the City was the high number of conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles at many of the intersections, especially during holidays and peak tourist seasons. Large pedestrian flows were blocking crosswalks to turning traffic during the entire green signal phase. A review of the accident history revealed several reported vehicle-pedestrian accidents. Numerous field observations also concluded many “close calls” occurred.

Solution

In 1987, the City of Beverly Hills modified traffic signals at eight intersections within the Business Triangle to include an exclusive pedestrian phase where all approaches would stop to let pedestrians cross the intersection either diagonally or conventionally. The intersections included:

• Brighton and Canon
• Brighton and Beverly
• Brighton and Rodeo
• Brighton and Camden
• Brighton and Bedford
• Dayton and Canon
• Dayton and Beverly
• Dayton and Rodeo

Table 1 shows the pedestrian volumes at each of the eight intersections compared to vehicular volumes.

Staff analysis indicated that if no pedestrians were in the intersection during the vehicular signal phase, that traffic would flow more smoothly. The addition of an exclusive pedestrian signal phase to the signal timing was considered to clear the intersection of pedestrians during the vehicular phase, allowing better movement of vehicles and permitting pedestrians to cross without vehicle interference. This would improve the safety of pedestrians and reduce the potential for auto/pedestrian conflicts and accidents. At the time of implementation, very few jurisdictions were known to have this type of signal operation.

With exclusive pedestrian phases in place, pedestrians were allowed to cross diagonally as well as conventionally. In that case, the longer diagonal pedestrian path was used to determine the optimal clearance time for that signal phase. A range of 20-22 seconds of total pedestrian signal phase was determined to be appropriate. At the time, all Business Triangle signals were operating on 50-second cycles, and the introduction of the pedestrian phase increased the cycle to 60 seconds to clear vehicles through the intersections.

Pavement markings were added to indicate that diagonal crossing was permitted at each of the intersections, and special “diagonal crossing OK” signs were added to each corner. For better visibility, pedestrian signal heads were added to face the diagonals of the intersection so they could be seen for diagonal crossings.

The average cost per intersection was very low compared to other improvements, ranging from $500-$700 per intersection.

Results

During the planning of this project, there was concern that an exclusive pedestrian phase would be confusing for both motorists and pedestrians. After implementation, it seemed that people became accustomed to the new operation. Public opinion has been very favorable, and other communities have contacted the City about their successful operation.

A capacity analysis was conducted as part of the evaluation of the new signal operation. Using the “ICU” method, a level of service (LOS) was calculated before and after the implementation of the exclusive pedestrian phase. The following table shows the summary of the LOS calculations.

The analysis indicated that for most intersections, the change in LOS would be within an acceptable range. However, for two intersections, Brighton/Beverly and Dayton/Beverly, the LOS would be dropping to unacceptable levels (LOS E and D respectively). City staff had concerns about the successful operation of these two intersections. Staff noted that implementation was very successful at the other six intersections, and the aforementioned two experienced an increase in delays on the major north-south street through the Business District, Beverly Drive. This analysis resulted in the pedestrian signal being removed at these two intersections. The remaining six continue to be operational today.

Since the primary objective of this project was to improve safety, detailed evaluation of accidents of all eight intersections was conducted. Accident data from the years 1978, 1987, and 1996 were used for comparison. The primary focus was to examine the auto/pedestrian type accidents before and after the implementation of the project. The following table shows the average change in accidents over the comparison periods.

The table indicates a reduction in auto/pedestrian accidents by 66% between 1987 and 1996 for the six intersections that maintained the pedestrian phase. Data have suggested unequivocally that this project was a success. Further, overall accidents in the Business Triangle were reduced by 26%. However, at those two intersections where the pedestrian phase was eliminated (Brighton/ Beverly and Dayton/Beverly), auto/pedestrian accident rates remained the same or even increased.

In general, exclusive pedestrian signal phasing is a low cost and effective tool to improve safety and reduce the potential for automobile and pedestrian conflicts.

Contact

Bijan Vaziri
City of Beverly Hills
Engineering Department
455 N. Rexford
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: (310) 285-2504
Email: bvaziri@ci.beverly-hills.ca.us

References

Vaziri, Bijan. “Exclusive Pedestrian Phase for the Business District Signals in Beverly Hills, 10 Years Later: City of Beverly Hills, California, 1996.”

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