Characteristics of Pedestrian Interactive Behaviors under the Different Level of Service on Walkways

Characteristics of pedestrian interactive behaviors serve as the key elements affecting pedestrian flow, as well as the decisive indicators to evaluate Level of Service (LOS) on walkways. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the characteristics of pedestrian interactive behaviors under the different LOS on walkways, including overtaking behavior and evasive behavior. Field data were collected on a walkway at a metro station in Shanghai, China to calculate the macro and micro indicators of behaviors. The macro features showed that the occurrence intensities of the two behaviors first increase with the increase of density, and then decrease with the continuous increase of density. The proportion of sideways behaviors under the different LOS was analyzed. And the differences between the two behaviors were also discussed. Based on the micro characteristics, the authors found that the available space for the two behaviors was the main factor contributing to the macro features. Furthermore, the different space demand of the two behaviors resulted in the different features between the two behaviors. Results of this study can provide important information for understanding the pedestrian flow characteristics and the critical values to evaluate LOS on walkways.