An analysis of student pedestrian gap acceptance behavior in suburban areas

Abstract

The safety of student pedestrians on suburban roads is an issue that is mainly overlooked. Numerous studies have been carried out on pedestrian crossing safety in developing countries. However, a study to identify factors that affect the gap acceptance behavior of student pedestrians on suburban roads is still lacking. Consequently, it is crucial to understand how factors influence pedestrians’ decisions. This motivated an investigation into student pedestrian crossing behavior at a crosswalk near a university campus located on suburban roads in Babol city, Iran. A video recording of the case study was conducted to provide a database for the analysis. Following data extraction, a logistic regression method was used to examine gap acceptance behavior based on influential variables. Results indicated that waiting for time, the mean speed of the flow, headway between vehicles, available gap size, and the type and speed of the approaching vehicle were significant. In addition, the gender and age of pedestrians did not significantly affect gap acceptance behavior. Generally, traffic-related variables were observed as significantly influencing gap selection behavior.