Use of Laser Measurements and Video Images to Investigate Pedestrian Movement along Non-Uniform Sidewalks

Caputcu, Mehmet; Şengöz, Burak; Özuysal, Mustafa; Tanyel, Serhan; Kaplan, Sezin; Karabayir, Aykut · 2016 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.11159/icte16.105

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study addresses the critical need for precise data collection methods to analyze pedestrian movement, particularly in contexts where sidewalk infrastructure is deficient. While pedestrian transportation constitutes a significant portion of urban travel demand, many sidewalks in developing countries suffer from issues such as absence, insufficient width, or obstructions, which compromise safety and comfort. Existing research often lacks high-precision quantitative approaches to investigate micro-interactions between pedestrians and these environmental constraints. To address this gap, the authors propose using laser range scanners as a robust alternative to conventional methods like stopwatches or video-only analysis, aiming to establish a baseline of pedestrian behavior on compliant sidewalks to later compare against sites with infrastructure problems. The methodology involved data collection at a control site on Erdem Avenue in Izmir, Turkey, over one year. Three SICK LMS511 laser range scanners were deployed to record pedestrian and vehicle movements at a frequency of 25 Hz (every 40 ms). The raw data, initially in polar coordinates, were converted to Cartesian coordinates and processed using a background subtraction technique based on distance histograms to distinguish moving objects from stationary structures. Data from the three devices were synchronized and integrated into a single matrix, with manual calibration applied to resolve timestamp discrepancies. Video recordings supplemented the laser data, allowing researchers to extract pedestrian attributes such as age, gender, weight, load status, and group size. After filtering outliers, the final dataset comprised 997 pedestrians. A regression model was estimated to determine the factors influencing walking speed. The results indicated that males walked significantly faster than females, and individuals aged 15–25 walked faster than older groups. Slim individuals walked faster than those with normal or overweight builds. Walking in groups negatively impacted speed, with larger groups moving more slowly. Contrary to expectations, moderate loads caused a greater reduction in speed than heavy loads; this anomaly was attributed to heavy loads often being backpacks worn by students who tended to walk faster. Weather also played a role, with colder temperatures (<20°C) associated with slightly higher speeds. Notably, the presence of measurement equipment did not significantly alter pedestrian speeds, as only 11% of subjects appeared distracted by the devices. The observed average speeds aligned with established literature values for low-density parallel flow. The study concludes that laser range scanners offer superior precision and flexibility for traffic analysis compared to traditional methods, enabling the extraction of spatiotemporal variables without privacy concerns or lighting dependencies. Although data integration requires careful processing, the method effectively captures micro-behaviors. These findings provide a validated baseline for future research investigating how sidewalk deficiencies impact pedestrian delays, safety, and level of service, ultimately informing urban design and transportation policy to promote livable cities and active living.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• pedestrian behavior perception