The influence of spatial and social context on cyclists’ anticipatory yielding behavior

Abstract

This study examines how cyclists’ anticipatory yielding behavior is influenced by spatial and social contexts. While previous research has shown that cyclists’ yielding behavior is shaped by environmental context, a controlled study isolating the effects of specific spatial and social factors would be a valuable addition. Two controlled video simulation experiments were conducted (total N = 67), in which participants viewed traffic scenarios from a cyclist’s perspective. In each video, a pedestrian crossed, and participants indicated their intended anticipatory behavior in the presented scenario by pressing Continue or Brake. The experiments manipulated kinematics (time-to-arrival and distance gap), pedestrian density, and presence or absence of a dedicated cycling lane. Participants selected braking less often and responded more slowly in low pedestrian-density environments and when a dedicated cycling lane was present. Greater time-to-arrival and distance gaps to the pedestrian (i.e., kinematics) were also associated with fewer selected braking responses and increased response times. Pedestrian density had a stronger influence in shared spaces, while time gap effects weakened under low-density conditions. Together, these findings suggest that participants’ reported yielding responses are influenced by spatial (dedicated cycling lane, kinematics) and social factors (pedestrian density). Implications for infrastructure design are discussed.