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• Pedestrians' road-crossing decisions and head movement patterns in response to different vehicle kinematics in mixed traffic were investigated. • A distributed platform incorporating a CAVE-based pedestrian simulator and a desktop driving simulator was developed to enable pedestrian-vehicle interaction in VR. • Pedestrians displayed different head movement patterns prior to crossing and non-crossing decisions, suggesting this to be a promising indicator of pedestrians' road-crossing intention. • The 'last moment check' behaviour in pedestrians' head movements before crossing initiation, can be used by future AVs for early recognition of pedestrians' road-crossing intention. • The similar road-crossing percentage and head-turning patterns of pedestrians demonstrated that the kinematic difference between human-driven and predefined vehicles did not impact pedestrians' behaviour prior to road crossings. The impending deployment of automated vehicles (AVs) will lead to mixed traffic conditions, where pedestrians will be required to interact with both AVs and human-driven vehicles. For traffic flow to be safe and efficient, AVs' understanding of pedestrians' behaviour and intention is as important as pedestrians' perception of AVs' status and intent. To investigate pedestrians' road-crossing decisions and interactive behaviour in mixed traffic, a distributed simulation study was developed by linking a CAVE-based pedestrian simulator and a desktop driving simulator. Twenty-five pairs of pedestrians and drivers were recruited, and each pair experienced 32 trials, where pedestrians decided to cross (or not) before an approaching vehicle at an un-signalised, single-lane, road. The driving pattern of the approaching vehicle (controlled by either a predefined program or human driver) and braking mode (braking/non-braking) were manipulated. For the predefined vehicles, the braking pattern was subdivided into hard braking and soft braking to provide more kinematic variability. Human drivers were also instructed to yield, or not, in different trials. Pedestrians' road-crossing decisions and head movements were recorded and analysed. Results revealed a significant difference in head-turning patterns between crossing and non-crossing manoeuvres, demonstrating pedestrians' head movements as a valid indicator of their road-crossing intentions. Moreover, results identified a 'last moment check' behaviour before pedestrians' crossing initiation, with a significant increase in head-turning during the last 2 s. Finally, pedestrians made a similar percentage of road crossings and displayed a similar pattern of head movements, in response to human-driven and predefined vehicles, suggesting that the difference of implicit cues in the current mixed traffic setup does not impact their behaviour prior to road crossings. The findings from this study extend our knowledge of how pedestrians behave when crossing the road in mixed traffic, particularly in terms of their head-turning behaviour. We hope this information can be used by future AVs to better predict pedestrians' road-crossing intentions in urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Influence of traffic safety culture and infrastructure improvements on drivers' behaviour were investigated. • UK drivers were compared with Nigerian drivers with and without experience of driving in a UK road system. • Nigerian drivers with no experience of driving in the UK reported and engaged in more unsafe driving behaviour. • UK drivers and Nigerian drivers with experience of driving in the UK exhibited similar behaviours. • Changes in Infrastructure did not affect the behaviour of the three groups of drivers. • The behaviours of drivers are interpretable in relation to their traffic safety culture. This paper presents the results of a cross-cultural study to investigate the influence of traffic safety culture and infrastructure improvements on driver behaviour. To achieve this, the driving style of UK drivers was compared with that of Nigerians with and without experience of driving in the UK. A driving simulator experiment compared the actual driving style of these three groups of drivers in different safety critical scenarios. The simulated road environment varied depending on how much infrastructure was provided (low or high infrastructure). In addition, the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire was used to collect self-reported data on violations, errors and lapses. It was hypothesised that Nigerian drivers with no experience of driving in a UK road system would report and engage in more unsafe driving behaviour compared to the other two groups, and that increasing infrastructure would have little positive benefit. Overall, the results supported these hypotheses, indicating that the behaviours of drivers are interpretable in relation to their traffic safety culture, compared to changes in their driving environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • This study explored traffic behaviour and conflicts of various road users in Owerri, Imo State Nigeria. • TCT was applied to evaluate and categorise conflicts. • Binary Logistic model was developed to investigate factors influencing conflict severity. • Factors identified were direction of Traffic, gender (rel.), age (rel.), speed and time of day. • Results highlight the applicability of surrogate safety measures in traffic safety assessment in a developing country. Abstract Road traffic crashes are a major public health problem affecting those living in developing countries, exacerbated by the lack of available resources to tackle the issue (WHO, 2015). Whilst crash reduction measures have been developed and implemented, there has been limited success in developing countries and the crash rate keeps increasing. Partly to blame are the lack of empirical research and high quality crash data. Data do exist – but their reliability is questionable, with respect to the data collection methods used and underreporting. This study, undertaken in Nigeria, used surrogate safety measures based on systematic observation of traffic behaviour and conflicts to assess the behaviour of different road users and investigate the role various factors play in determining conflict severity. Data were analysed using the Traffic Conflict Technique and binary logistic regression. Results show that direction of traffic, time of day and the relevant road user's age, gender and speed are important determinants of conflict severity. This study highlights the applicability of surrogate safety measures in traffic safety assessment in a developing country and demonstrates that quality data needed for road safety assessment in developing countries could be collected over a short period of time by making use of resources which are readily available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Willingness to pay is estimated for four measures to reduce COVID-19 spread in transport. • Public transport and paratransit are considered, in the capitals of Uganda and Bangladesh. • WTP for an innovative barrier for motorcycle taxis is estimated. • Respondents are willing to pay extra for each of the mitigation measures. • COVID-19 related safety factors became more important in mode choice than travel time or costs. • WTP for capacity reduction in buses were larger than the actual fare increases in both cities. In order to combat the spread of COVID-19, various measures were taken in most countries to make public transit and paratransit safer. These additional measures, which include restrictions on number of passengers, provision of hand sanitisers and face coverings, and more frequent cleaning, add to the costs of operations or reduce profitability. The resulting financial pressure on the transport operators raises an important question on who pays for these additional measures. In most countries, this has been covered by one-time government bailouts to operators or strategies to increase fare, the latter of which directly affects the users. However, even without these interventions, there could be a demand and as such willingness to pay (WTP) for some of these intervention measures from the consumers concerned about safety. Knowing such WTP will not only help operators set their fare, but also help the governments decide the appropriate bailout needed. This paper addresses the issue by estimating the user's willingness to pay for selected COVID-19 mitigation measures in public transport and paratransit (motorcycle taxis) using survey data collected from two cities in low-income countries as case studies – Kampala, Uganda and Dhaka, Bangladesh. For public transport, these measures are - (1) social distancing (passenger loading at half capacity), and (2) mandatory hand sanitisation and increased cleaning of surfaces, while for paratransit, they are - (1) provision of a transparent shield between the rider and the passenger, and (2) provision of cleaned helmets at the start of each trip. The study analyses stated preference data using the utility maximisation framework and finds that the implementation or provision of COVID-19 mitigation measures improves the attractiveness of the associated public transport or paratransit alternatives, and transport users make trade-offs between safety and cost when making travel decisions. We find positive willingness to pay for all four mitigation measures, suggesting potential existence of a market for these measures. We also find that the typical mode choice factors such as costs, travel time and convenience became less important during the pandemic and the safety measures became more important considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the call for new insights to improve equity in active transportation systems by exploring the experiences of female cyclists in Lagos, Nigeria. Qualitative data were collected and triangulated from three different sources – four weeks of ethnographic fieldwork, which involved riding with and observing female cyclists and observing the built environment, semi-structured interviews with 21 female cyclists and street intercepts with 61 female participants across various locations in the city. These data were thematically analysed to establish the social, socio-demographics and spatial disparities concerning female cyclists. The study identifies socio-demographic background, accessibility, and infrastructures as some challenges. However, cycling clubs and charities supporting girl cyclists were recognised as initiatives to encourage equitable active transportation and for raising awareness about the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling. The study also presents theoretical and practical implications that can influence the planning, development, and management of equitable active transportation, calling on stakeholders to adopt a place-centred approach for active transport development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Investigation of how kinematic information and eHMI designs affect pedestrian crossing behaviours. • Comparison of how quickly a novel light-based eHMI and a more conventional Flashing Headlights eHMI were learned. • FH led to earlier crossings than the novel eHMI. • It took participants longer for the novel eHMI to affect crossing behaviour, indicating a longer learning process. • eHMI visibility was not the only reason for earlier crossings, with message familiarity playing a role. Introduction: In current urban traffic, pedestrians attempting to cross the road at un-signalized locations are thought to mostly use implicit communication, such as deceleration cues, to interpret a vehicle's intention to yield. There is less reliance on explicit driver- or vehicle-based messages, such as hand/head movements, or flashing lights/beeping horns. With the impending deployment of Automated Vehicles (AV), especially those at SAE Level 4 and 5, where the driver is no longer in control of the vehicle, there has been a surge in interest in the value of new forms of communication for AVs, for example, via different types of external Human Machine Interfaces (eHMIs). However, there is still much to be understood about how quickly a novel eHMI affects pedestrian crossing decisions, and whether it provides any additional aid, above and beyond implicit/kinematic information from the vehicle. The aim of this between-participant study, funded by the H2020 interACT project, was to investigate how the combination of kinematic information from a vehicle (e.g., Speed and Deceleration), and eHMI designs, play a role in assisting the crossing decision of pedestrians in a cave-based pedestrian simulator. Method: Using an existing, well-recognized, message for yielding (Flashing Headlights - FH) as a benchmark, this study also investigated how quickly a novel eHMI (Slow Pulsing Light Band – SPLB) was learned. To investigate the effect of eHMI visibility on crossing decisions, the distance at which each eHMI was perceivable was also measured. Results: Results showed that, compared to SPLB, the FH led to earlier crossings during vehicle deceleration, especially at lower approaching speeds, and smaller time gaps. However, although FH was visible earlier than SPLB, this visibility does not appear to be the only reason for earlier crossings, with message familiarity thought to play a role. Participants were found to learn the meaning conveyed by FH relatively quickly, crossing around 1 second earlier in its presence (compared to the no eHMI condition), across the three blocks of trials. On the other hand, it took participants at least one block of 12 trials for the new SPLB signal to affect crossing, which only accelerated crossing initiations by around 200 ms, compared to the no eHMI condition. The role of comprehension, long-term exposure, and familiarity of novel messages in this context is therefore important, if AVs are to provide safe, trustworthy communication messages, which will enhance traffic flow and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Nigeria, a developing country and prominent oil producer, the transition towards electric vehicle adoption is unfolding amidst unique challenges. This study addresses crucial research gaps concerning Electric vehicle adoption in developing nations, with Nigeria as a focal point. Through interviews with 31 experts, we have uncovered a landscape filled with challenges and opportunities. The hurdles include a scarcity of charging infrastructure, a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, affordability issues, and unequal access to energy. On the bright side, there are prospects for cost savings backed by government support, adaptable manufacturers, and the potential for renewable energy utilisation. We propose comprehensive awareness campaigns to fast-track electric vehicle adoption, expanding charging infrastructure, government-driven policies, and integrating localised technology, specifically focusing on last-mile transport. Our study contributes valuable insights into Electric vehicle adoption in developing countries, offering theoretical and practical implications for sustainable transportation solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]