Evaluating the impact of street lighting configurations on the accuracy of pedestrian obstacle detection: Findings from an onsite experiment
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: 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 low-reflectance (gray) obstacles measuring 20 × 20 × 20 mm. Detection accuracy plateaued when maximum, average, and minimum illuminance (E max , E ave and E min ) 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.
Source: Results in Engineering
Authors: Lanlan Wei, Grega Bizjak, Matej Bernard Kobav
Institution: University of Ljubljana
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,940
Award: G3391743928
OpenAlex ID: W4414806326