The above classifications appropriately describe general conditions of vehicular traffic conflict in urban areas. A second type of conflict is vehicle/pedestrian interaction. The magnitude is mostly determined by the land use of the abutting properties. Three classifications of pedestrian night activity levels and types of land use with which they are typically associated are used in the lighting criteria tables:
High. Areas with significant numbers of pedestrians expected to be on the sidewalks or crossing the streets during darkness. Examples are downtown retail areas and areas near theaters, concert halls, stadiums, and transit terminals.
Medium. Areas where lesser numbers of pedestrians utilize the streets at night. Typical are downtown office areas; blocks with libraries, apartments, and neighborhood shopping; industrial areas; older city areas; and streets with transit lines.
Low. Areas with low volumes of night pedestrian usage. These can occur in any of the cited roadway classifications but may be typified by suburban single-family streets, very-low-density residential developments, and rural or semirural areas.
The choice of appropriate lighting levels is an engineering decision. If needed, 1-h pedestrian counts can be taken during the first hour of darkness. The volume of pedestrians that warrants increased lighting levels is not fixed but is a local option. However, the following volumes might be considered as a guide:
Low 10 or fewer
Medium 11 to 100
High Over 100
These volumes represent the total number of pedestrians walking on both sides of the street plus those crossing the street at nonintersection locations in a typical block. The lighting levels at intersections are already considered by the increased illumination for the points of conflict.
