Pedestrian Behavior in Shared Spaces With Autonomous Vehicles: An Integrated Framework and Review

Abstract

Pedestrians will increasingly have to share their space with autonomous vehicles (AVs), at pedestrian crossings, and in urban shared spaces where segregation between pedestrians and vehicles is minimized. This article proposes an integrative framework to analyze pedestrian behavior in shared spaces with AVs. Following the “perception-cognition-action” cycle, the proposed framework breaks down pedestrian behavior into 3 parts: 1. Sensation and Perception; 2. Emotion and Cognition; 3. Action and Communication. The framework is used to review and synthesize current knowledge on pedestrian behavior in urban shared spaces. Studies involving pedestrians in shared environments with AVs are limited. Since an AV can be seen as a hybrid of a conventional car and a mobile robot, this review includes studies on pedestrian behavior with conventional cars and with mobile robots as well as with AVs. Examining pedestrian behavior in these three situations of interaction allows us to make assumptions about how humans will behave in sharing their urban spaces with AVs. The reviewed interactions reveal that pedestrians have diverse and imperfect behaviors. AVs must consider this variety of behaviors and follow socially compliant rules in order to be understood and accepted by pedestrians. Perspectives for AVs in shared spaces and research directions are also identified.