Analysis of pedestrian illegal crossing at unmarked segments: Environmental factors, pedestrian characteristics and crossing behaviours.

• Pedestrian spatial violations at unmarked roads were collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle and a camera. • Male pedestrianshave a higher violation lkelihood. Younger pedestrians waited a shorter time before crossing and had fewer observations while crossing. • The illegal crossing probability with companions is higher than that of crossing alone. • Shorter intersections spacing, higher vehicle flow and longer crossing length all reduce the illegal propensity. Pedestrian violations are a major cause of pedestrian accidents. Considering that pedestrians are vulnerable to mortality and severe injury in traffic accidents, it is necessary to conduct a study of the factors influencing the occurrence of unmarked street crossing violations and to improve pedestrian safety in a targeted manner. This paper investigated pedestrian spatial violations on unmarked roadways at six high-traffic locations in Hefei and examined the effects of the road environment, pedestrian crossing behaviour, and pedestrian characteristics on pedestrian spatial violation decisions. Thirty variables with a total of 723 samples were obtained by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a camera. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of pedestrian spatial crossing violations at unmarked roadways. A random parameter logit model was used to establish a pedestrian crossing decision model for roadway violations. The results indicate that males are more likely to violate than females; the probability of violation with companions is higher than that of crossing alone; when pedestrians cross with other strangers in the same direction, the rate will decrease; and shorter intersection spacing, a higher vehicle flow, and a longer pedestrian crossing length all reduce the illegal crossing propensity. The findings should be indicative to help traffic road construction departments and traffic participants take effective measures to improve road safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]