Exploring Pedestrian Stress Around E-Scooters in Urban Settings: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Tel Aviv in Israel and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Abstract

(150-word limit) This study investigates pedestrian stress and infrastructure preferences concerning e-scooters in Copenhagen (CPH), Denmark, with its well-established cycling culture and infrastructure, and Tel Aviv (TLV), Israel, facing rapid e-scooter adoption. A survey of 623 participants (304 TLV, 319 CPH) reported stress perceptions across 18 experimental conditions involving pathway width (narrow/wide), design (marked, separated, shared), and e-scooter traffic direction (with/against pedestrian flow, bidirectional). Sociodemographics, Big Five personality traits, experience, and e-scooter familiarity were also analyzed. Findings indicate higher stress among TLV participants, particularly on narrow or shared pathways, with 42.1% encountering e-scooters daily compared to 6% in CPH. Mixed Ordinal Logit models highlight varying stress perceptions for single experimental conditions. Mixed Multinomial Logit models of ChoiceBased Conjoint (CBC) analysis underscore a cross-cultural preference for wide, separated pedestrian pathways. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions and policies to support effective escooter integration and foster livable, pedestrian-centric stress-mitigated cities.