Pedestrian Route Taking Behaviour at Night and Street Lighting

Street lighting is recognised as one of the factors encouraging pedestrian travel at night. However, there remains a paucity of evidence demonstrating a correlation between the quality and quantity of street lighting and pedestrian walking behaviour after dark. Most existing studies have focused only on pedestrians’ cognitions and emotions in controlled experimental conditions.This study employed behavioural observation in combination with a lighting survey to capture both the context and meaning underlying people’s behaviour. It examines changes in pedestrian street use at night compared with the daytime, as well as the factors influencing these changes. Neighbourhood walkability and reassurance factors, along with street lighting conditions, were considered.The findings indicate that a minimum lighting level of more than 8 lux on pavements is required to prevent changes in walking behaviour at night. This threshold appears to be independent of environmental factors such as walkability and reassurance. The results also reveal that age is significantly associated with substitutive walking behaviour after dark.