Digital Street Furniture

This research project aimed to provide some key findings on interactive street furniture in Newcastle City Centre. A key component of this project involved conducting observational research around a prominent pelican crossing on St. Marys Place. The research aimed to unravel how pedestrians interact with street furniture at such crossings and how these elements influence behaviour when crossing.

collaborators

Individual Project

project duration

24 October 2022 → 18 November 2022

project type

Research Project

Observational Research

skills and tools

observations

transcription

coding

thematic analysis

literature analysis

data synthesis

research report

miro

scope of study

Newcastle City Council has prioritised pedestrians in recent urban planning and campaigns, including creating pedestrian-only zones. The study aims to understand pedestrian behaviour and street furniture use to enhance safety and digital features in line with the city's innovative vision. It specifically focuses on the St. Mary's Place pelican crossing at the top of Northumberland Street, aligning with the city's commitment to improving the visitor experience.

method

Observational Setting

Location: Pelican crossing on St. Mary's Place, Newcastle City Centre

Presence of street furniture for crossing
High foot traffic on Northumberland Street on the weekend

Ethical Considerations

Ethical approval obtained
Information sheet provided to inform the public about the research

Study Design

Qualitative data collection through video recordings and observations
Focus on interactions with street furniture and social interactions among users of the crossing

Procedure

Use of a smartphone on a tripod to capture various angles of the crossing
Approximately 30-40 minutes of video recording
Transcription of video footage using the interaction analysis method
Creation of a transcript noting significant actions, behaviour, social interactions, and non-verbal cues

Data Analysis

Thematic analysis based on initial codes from the transcript
Generation of final themes from coded data
Presentation of results through a thematic analysis map created with Miro

results

Codes were grouped and associated to create the three main themes; follow the leader, pointless furniture and signalling factors.

Follow The Leader

Group dynamics are common, with a clear leader who initiates the crossing
Leaders often take responsibility for road safety checks and guide others
Expectant behaviour is observed among leaders, such as expecting group members to follow
Pedestrians may choose to disregard traffic signals when they assume a leadership role
Observations show that pedestrians may be influenced by others already crossing, leading to reduced safety checks

Pointless Furniture

A majority of pedestrians did not utilise the street furniture effectively or simply ignored it
Control boxes, in particular, saw minimal usage, and when used, people often didn't wait for an outcome
Pedestrians pressed the button but crossed on a red signal before it changed
Pedestrians often pressed the button again, assuming their initial interaction had no effect
Some chose not to use the control box even when it was readily available next to them, despite its purpose being signal control

Signalling Factors

Street furniture influenced pedestrian behaviour differently depending on the signal status (red, green, or countdown timer)
During a red signal, pedestrians exhibited extra caution, making continuous road checks while crossing
On a green signal, pedestrians often did not make any road checks, as they felt a sense of trust in the signal
Individuals engaged with their phones while crossing on a green signal, disregarding the need to check the road
The ten-second countdown timer induced a sense of urgency among pedestrians
Pedestrians tended not to make road safety checks when crossing during the countdown

discussion

The study aimed to understand pedestrian behaviour and the use of street furniture when crossing busy streets. The findings offer insights into how pelican crossing street furniture is used and how it can be improved for pedestrian safety.

Insights:

Pedestrians often do not strictly adhere to red and green signals, relying on personal judgment when crossing streets.
The pressing of buttons at crossings rarely results in immediate action or feedback, causing confusion among pedestrians.
Countdown timers, while informative, can encourage risky behaviours, such as rushing to cross streets.
Pedestrian behaviour varies with signal color; those crossing on red signals tend to display more road safety awareness.
Some pedestrians place unwarranted trust in signals, relying on them instead of checking the road.
Social interactions among pedestrians can influence crossing behavior, highlighting the need for road safety education.

Recommendations:

Redesign street furniture and crossing systems to improve user experience and safety. e.g. Ensure that pressing buttons results in a clear and prompt response to reduce confusion.
Reevaluate the necessity of countdown timers, considering their potential to promote risky behaviors. Implement them only when their benefits outweigh the risks.
Design smart crossings that can adapt to situational factors to enhance safety for both pedestrians and drivers.
Develop road safety education initiatives that emphasise the importance of independent road safety checks, even when using street furniture.
Create awareness campaigns based on research data to educate the public about signal adherence and road safety at pedestrian crossings.
Explore the possibility of introducing legal measures or enforcement mechanisms for pedestrian road safety, similar to practices in some other countries.
Consider designing street furniture that encourages pedestrians to follow signals and road safety rules, enhancing compliance.
Extend the findings and design improvements beyond pelican crossings to enhance pedestrian behavior and safety on various types of streets.

Interested in reading the full paper? Contact me!

results and reflections

Project Successes 👏

My research report was met with positive feedback from academic staff. I was also able to plan, execute and report the research in a short timeframe.

What I Learned 🌱

This project was the first instance of where I carried out an observational study. Transcribing and coding video data was also new to me, and I was able to practice using the thematic analysis method. I became more confident in using the data I had gathered to report insights and recommendations.

Reflection 🪞

Due to the short timeframe, there were many decisions made on assumptions, such as the location and time of observations. In future work, I'd like to make more data-informed decisions. Observations yielded valuable but challenging data due to the high volume of pedestrians crossing the street, potentially leading to missed interactions. It would be useful to talk to pedestrians to understand their thought processes when crossing the road.