Attention distribution of pedestrians during street crossings: impacts of facility and environment

The incidence of pedestrian fatalities and injuries in traffic accidents remained unacceptably high. In order to understand the preferences and needs of pedestrians when crossing from a human perspective and to provide layout recommendations for intersection safety signs and facilities, this study collected pedestrian eye movement data at signalized intersections using Tobii Pro Glasses2. This study analyzed the characteristics of their attention allocation during street crossings and examined the impact of environmental factors on their attention distribution. To provide a more precise depiction of pedestrians' attention distribution on the street, this study introduced the "attention rate" index through principal component analysis. Subsequently, by employing the random forest model and nonparametric tests, this study explored how six environmental factors affected the distribution of attention rates among pedestrians. Results highlighted the pivotal role of the central area (AOI5), left area (AOI4), right area (AOI6), and lower area (AOI8) in pedestrian crossing. Participants displayed significantly different attention focuses during both the waiting and crossing stages. Furthermore, the study indicated that the nature of surrounding land, the type of crosswalk, and pedestrian warning systems significantly affected the attention distribution among pedestrians. In contrast, factors such as the duration of redlight, the light countdown, and the crossing type had relatively minor impacts on this aspect. These findings provide a valuable reference for the implementation of user-friendly crosswalk designs, the strategic placement of pedestrian warning systems, and other safety signs.