Factors influencing red-light violations behavior by vulnerable road users: a case study from an Indian mid-sized city

Road safety poses a major challenge for vulnerable road users (VRUs), such as pedestrians, two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, and cyclists, in mid-sized Indian cities. While signalized intersections are designed to enhance VRU safety by providing a designated right of way, signal violations (red-light violations) by VRUs remain a significant cause of fatalities at these junctions. Therefore, preventing VRU signal violations is essential for improving safety in urban India. This study investigates the issue by analyzing the signal violation behavior of 2,251 VRUs and examining the risk perception and self-reported violation data of 721 VRUs through videography and questionnaire surveys at nine major signalized intersections in Patiala, India. In a typical Indian mid-sized city, two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, and bicycles travel alongside the main traffic stream while pedestrians cross it at varying speeds. To capture these distinct movement patterns and travel spaces, the present study conducted video data extraction and questionnaire surveys separately for each group, followed by independent statistical modeling. Binary Logit and Ordered Logit models are employed to analyze the factors influencing signal violations across four VRU groups: pedestrians, two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, and bicycles. The analysis identifies several critical factors contributing to signal violations in mid-sized cities, including longer traffic signal cycles, absence of road signage, narrow roads with lower traffic volumes, commercial land usage, on-street parking, inadequate enforcement, peak violation times between 7 pm and 8 pm, frequent use of a specific junction by VRUs, limited knowledge of traffic rules, and poor understanding of road safety.