Can pedestrians safely navigate shared sidewalks with e-scooters and bicycles? A behavioral analysis using surrogate safety measures

• Pedestrians react differently to e-scooters and bicycles on shared sidewalks. • Pedestrians adjust avoidance behavior based on MMV speed and position. • Higher MMV speed prompt pedestrians to maintain longer longitudinal space for safety. • Infrastructure design and speed limits are key to safer shared mobility spaces. Micro-mobility vehicles, such as e-scooters and bicycles, are essential for addressing urban transportation challenges and enhancing mobility efficiency. While regulations for cyclists are generally well established, those governing e-scooters remain inconsistent, or even entirely absent in some countries. This lack of regulatory clarity has raised concerns regarding the safety of pedestrians and other road users when interacting with e-scooters in mixed-traffic environments. This study assessed and compared pedestrian avoidance behaviors when interacting with bicycles and e-scooters on shared sidewalks using data collected through a controlled experiment conducted in a virtual reality setting. Both objective measures (relative longitudinal distance at avoidance, lateral clearance, and post-encroachment time) and subjective measures (perceived safety and comfort) were used to evaluate pedestrian behaviors. The findings reveal that the behavior of micro-mobility vehicles, such as speed, longitudinal and lateral positioning are critical factors influencing both objective measures and pedestrians perceived safety. As the speed of micro-mobility vehicle increases, pedestrian initiates avoidance at progressively greater distance and experience heightened perceived risk. A high perceived safety and comfort level (≥99%) was achieved when micro-mobility vehicles traveled at 10 km/h or less, with minimum lateral clearance of approximately 0.86 m for e-scooters and 1.11 m for bicycles, corresponding to a minimum sidewalk width of 2.00 and 2.30 m, respectively. These trends highlight the need for wider sidewalks to ensure safer interactions between pedestrians and micro-mobility vehicles as their speed increases. Overall, this study underscores the importance of thoughtful infrastructure design and well-enforced speed limit to create safer and more inclusive shared mobility spaces for all urban road users.