Evaluating current and future pedestrian mid-block crossing safety treatments using virtual reality simulation.

Area of Science:

• Transportation Engineering
• Human Factors and Ergonomics
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• Pedestrian safety is a critical concern in urban design.
• Traditional methods for evaluating safety treatments are often costly and time-consuming.
• Virtual reality (VR) offers a controlled and immersive environment for studying human behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of different mid-block pedestrian crossing safety treatments using VR simulation.
• To compare pedestrian behavior and perception across a painted crosswalk, enhanced with flashing beacons, and a smart phone application.
• To demonstrate a VR framework for assessing roadway design impacts on pedestrian safety.

Main Methods:

• A 1:1 scale immersive virtual environment (IVE) replicating a real-world location was created.
• Participants experienced three crossing conditions: existing painted crosswalk, added rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs), and a pedestrian-to-everything (P2X) ITS phone application.
• Observed crossing behaviors (gap acceptance, crossing speed) and stated preferences were collected.

Main Results:

• Pedestrians accepted larger gaps and crossed slower with RRFBs and the P2X application compared to the painted crosswalk.
• Unsafe dashing behavior was observed when participants relied solely on the existing painted crosswalk.
• Participants perceived the existing crosswalk as least safe and found the VR simulation's risk perception realistic.

Conclusions:

• VR simulation is a viable tool for evaluating pedestrian safety treatments and understanding behavioral responses.
• Assistive technologies like RRFBs and P2X applications significantly improve pedestrian safety by influencing gap acceptance and crossing speed.
• Roadway designs should incorporate advanced safety features to mitigate risky pedestrian behaviors.