A micro-simulation model of pedestrian-vehicle interaction behavior at unsignalized mid-block locations

The frequent interaction between vehicles and jaywalking pedestrians at unsignalized locations is one of the main characteristics of traffic systems in some developing countries such as China, due to less disciplined behavior on urban streets. The inadequate understanding and improper management of the mixed traffic contribute much to traffic congestion and accidents. Existing micro-simulation tools are of limit use for evaluating system performances at unsignalized locations, or comparing operations between unsignalized and signalized scenarios. A project was proposed to study the pedestrian-vehicle interaction behavior in urban street environment by micro-simulation modeling. This paper presents partial results of this project, focusing on the development and validation of the simulation model of the interaction behavior of the two modes at unsignalized mid-block locations. The result can be used as a tool to supplement current guidelines for pedestrian related problems, and also contributes to the knowledge base to incorporate pedestrians into existing micro-simulation models in a more realistic way.