An Improved Social Force Model of Pedestrian Twice–Crossing Based on Spatial–Temporal Trajectory Characteristics

Abstract

Pedestrian two-stage crossing, as one of the key elements of the urban roadway network, affects not only vehicle flow at signalized interactions, but also road capacities in the transport system. Therefore, it is vital to deeply understand the behavioral characteristics of pedestrian twice-crossing in order to improve the safety and efficiency of the road transport network. Based on our previous study, this study continues to improve the social force model by classifying the trajectory type of pedestrian twice crossing. In the interactive aggregation, the pedestrian trajectory line was divided into two types: straight path and curved path. The Work–Energy Principle and Impulse–Momentum Principle were used to identify the spatial and temporal characteristics of pedestrian twice-crossing behaviors. It was found that when pedestrians on the two sides are facing very close in a congested section, the maximum repulsive force appears to be a dramatic increase and remains for a period of time. This result provides us with direction for updating the social force model, focusing on the repulsive force generated by the opposite flow. The improved model can achieve high precision in predicting pedestrian twice-crossing behaviors. The findings of this study have great implications for designing pedestrian facilities and optimizing pedestrian signal timings, thus helping to increase the mobility and safety of pedestrian twice-crossing.