Driver Yielding Behavior at Roundabout Pedestrian Crossings: A Statewide Evaluation of Crossing Treatments in Minnesota

Abstract

This study evaluates driver yielding behavior toward pedestrians at roundabout crosswalks in Minnesota, comparing base-case crossings against three specialized crossing treatments (in-roadway signs, rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs), and colored crosswalks) and testing which site and treatment characteristics are statistically associated with yielding. A statewide survey of 91 Minnesota city and county engineers identified candidate roundabouts with known pedestrian concerns. Video cameras were installed at 15 roundabouts (approximately 50 h of daytime footage per leg), and eight roundabouts were selected for detailed case study analysis of vehicle–pedestrian interactions, following observational protocols adapted from prior driver yielding research; the resulting leg-level dataset comprises 22 treatment-condition observations across 18 roundabout legs. Each pedestrian crossing event was coded for driver yielding behavior (active yield, passive yield, no yield) and pedestrian crossing behavior (normal, hesitates, retreats, runs, not ready). To complement this descriptive analysis and enable formal statistical inference from a limited number of sites, a beta regression model was fit to leg-level overall yielding rates as a function of specialized crossing treatment, roundabout configuration, total lanes, approach speed, circulatory roadway speed, traffic volume, and pedestrian count. Descriptively, single-lane roundabouts showed higher overall yielding (85.7–100%) than multi-lane roundabouts, and exit-lane yielding was consistently lower than entry-lane yielding across all sites. RRFBs achieved close to 100% compliance when activated by pedestrians, but compliance fell by 15–38 percentage points when pedestrians did not activate the beacon. Colored crosswalk sites showed the lowest observed yielding rates (11.1–24.1%). The beta regression model supported and refined these patterns: RRFB activation was associated with 4.76 times higher odds of yielding (p = 0.0015), each additional lane was associated with 49% lower yielding odds (p = 0.022), and 2 × 1 roundabout configurations showed 76% lower yielding odds than 1 × 1 configurations (p = 0.0085). Colored crosswalks were associated with significantly lower yielding odds in the simplified model (p = 0.004). Approach speed, traffic volume, and pedestrian count were not statistically significant once treatment and configuration were accounted for, a finding that qualifies speed-focused interpretations of the descriptive results. This study pairs a statewide Minnesota case study dataset with a formal inferential layer, a beta regression model appropriate for bounded proportion outcomes, and is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first application of beta regression to driver yielding compliance data at roundabout pedestrian crossings. The finding that colored crosswalk sites showed the lowest yielding among the treatments studied, based on two sites and best treated as a preliminary association rather than a conclusive treatment effect, together with the confirmation that RRFB effectiveness depends on pedestrian activation, offer transportation agencies early, statistically grounded evidence to inform selecting and pairing pedestrian crossing treatments at roundabouts as installations of this proven intersection form continue to expand nationally.