Investigating pedestrian crossing route choice at mid-blocks without crossing facilities: The role of roadside environment

Due to the lack of instructions and regulations, pedestrian crossing areas and routes are usually uncertain at mid-blocks without crossing facilities, resulting in higher crossing risks. Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and roadside camera data, this study investigates pedestrian crossing behaviors at mid-blocks without crossing facilities by proposing metrics for characterizing pedestrian crossing routes, including entry point, crossing angle and trajectory shape. This study also contributes to the literature by investigating the role of roadside environment (i.e. pedestrian's start–end Points of interest (POIs), distribution of curb cuts, roadside parking and bus stops) in explaining pedestrian route choice, which could help with the street layout design at such areas. The results emphasize the attractiveness effects of curb cuts on pedestrians’ choices of entry points. Moreover, crosswalk usage and choosing curb cut as the entry point could contribute to a larger crossing angle. In addition, pedestrians with direct opposite start–end POIs also have a higher inclination of crossing perpendicularly. Pedestrians alighting from roadside-parked cars are more likely to cross with larger angles and complex-curve trajectories. In contrast, crossings with bus stop as the start POI and end POI are related to smaller crossing angles. Finally, practical suggestions are also provided to help with the street layout design and the development of drivers warning facilities, further enhancing pedestrian crossing safety at mid-blocks without crossing facilities.