Evaluating the impact of street lighting configurations on the accuracy of pedestrian obstacle detection : findings from an onsite experiment

Wei, Lanlan (avtor), Bizjak, Grega (avtor), Kobav, Matej Bernard (avtor)

Street lighting serves to enhance pedestrian safety, such as by improving visibility and helping to detect obstacles at night, while also minimizing energy consumption to support sustainability goals. This study investigates the impact of lighting parameters—specifically horizontal illuminance and uniformity—on pedestrians’ ability to detect small obstacles, highlighting a critical consideration in designing urban lighting that ensures both safety and efficiency. Fifty-six observers performed detection tasks under 14 lighting conditions, each involving 14 lowreflectance (gray) obstacles measuring 20 × 20 × 20 mm. Detection accuracy plateaued when maximum, average, and minimum illuminance (Emax, Eave and Emin) reached 6.7 lx, 1.94 lx and 0.98 lx, respectively—indicating no additional benefit to obstacle detection beyond these thresholds. This plateau effect challenges conventional lighting practices that emphasize higher illuminance to enhance perceived safety. Instead, the findings support sustainable lighting strategies by identifying sufficient illuminance levels to ensure pedestrian safety while minimizing energy consumption and light pollution. This evidence aligns with global efforts to develop safer, more sustainable urban environments, demonstrating that optimized lighting design can meet safety standards without resorting to over-illumination.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: street lighting, pedestrian obstacle detection, accuracy, urban environment, sustainability, urban planning
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FE - Fakulteta za elektrotehniko
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2025
• Št. strani: 7 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 28, art. 107574
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175342
• UDK: 628.9
• ISSN pri članku: 2590-1230
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2025.107574
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254614531
• Datum objave v RUL: 24.10.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Results in engineering
• Založnik: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2590-1230
• COBISS.SI-ID: 529862681

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Nekomercialno-Brez predelav 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: Najbolj omejujoča licenca Creative Commons. Uporabniki lahko prenesejo in delijo delo v nekomercialne namene in ga ne smejo uporabiti za nobene druge namene.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: javna razsvetljava, zaznavanje ovir za pešce, natančnost, urbano okolje, trajnostnost, urbano načrtovanje

Projekti

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P2-0356
• Naslov: Elektroenergetski sistemi