Pedestrian behaviour when interacting with micro-mobility vehicles: a virtual reality exeperiment

Abstract

The presence of micro-mobility vehicles (MMVs), such as bicycles and e-scooters, is rapidly increasing in spaces shared with pedestrians. Previous studies have mainly focused on pedestrian interacting with MMVs on sidewalks. However, more complex interactions in areas such as pedestrian streets remain underexplored. This study examines pedestrians interacting with multiple MMVs in pedestrian streets. Data were collected from a virtual reality (VR) experiment under scenarios that varied in initial lateral distance, MMV type, number of MMVs, and density levels. Lateral clearance, longitudinal distance, perceived difficulty, risk, and expected accidents were analyzed using statistical tests and a linear mixed-effects model. The results show that the lateral clearance is larger with an initial lateral distance of 0.6 m than 0 m, with bicycles than e-scooters, and with a single MMV than multiple MMVs. The longitudinal distance is larger in single MMV scenarios. These findings can inform the design of safer and more comfortable pedestrian streets.