Pedestrian Choice Behavior at Shopping Mall Intersections in China and the United States

Abstract

Pedestrian navigation through public spaces reflects the nature of interaction between behavior and environment. This study compared pedestrian choice behavior at shopping mall intersections in China and the United States. The study found that in both countries (a) pedestrians chose movement patterns that involved the fewest steps and (b) there was no consistent right-turn bias (i.e., the majority of pedestrians did not turn right at the intersection). In addition, about two thirds of pedestrians walked on the right side in the United States and Mainland China samples, whereas only about one half walked on the right side in the Hong Kong sample suggesting that the English tradition of driving on the left side of the road in Hong Kong may have an influence on walking habits. Consistent with the value ratio (benefit/cost) concept proposed by Bitgood, people minimize the “cost” of their movements by choosing an option involving fewer steps. This behavior pattern (taking the most efficient route) appears to be cross-cultural at least for pedestrians in the United States, Chinese, and Czech–Slovak shopping malls. Finally, a “right-turn bias” (if it occurs at all) does not appear to be a relevant factor when there is a different “cost” (number of steps to navigate) for alternative routes.