CNN-Based Framework for Pedestrian Age and Gender Classification Using Far-View Surveillance in Mixed-Traffic Intersections

Abstract

Pedestrian safety remains a pressing concern in congested urban intersections, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where traffic is multimodal, and infrastructure often lacks formal control. Demographic factors like age and gender significantly influence pedestrian vulnerability, yet real-time monitoring systems rarely capture this information. To address this gap, this study proposes a deep learning framework that classifies pedestrian age group and gender from far-view intersection footage using convolutional neural networks (CNNs), without relying on facial recognition or high-resolution imagery. The classification is structured as a unified six-class problem, distinguishing adult, teenager, and child pedestrians for both males and females, based on full-body visual cues. Video data was collected from three high-risk intersections in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Two CNN architectures were implemented: ResNet50, a deep convolutional neural network pretrained on ImageNet, and a custom lightweight CNN optimized for computational efficiency. Eight model variants explored combinations of pooling strategies and optimizers. ResNet50 with Max Pooling and SGD achieved the highest accuracy (86.19%), while the custom CNN performed comparably (84.15%) with fewer parameters and faster training. The model's efficient design enables real-time inference on standard surveillance feeds. For practitioners, this system provides a scalable, cost-effective tool to monitor pedestrian demographics at intersections using existing camera infrastructure. Its outputs can shape intersection design, optimize signal timing, and enable targeted safety interventions for vulnerable groups such as children or the elderly. By offering demographic insights often missing in conventional traffic data, the framework supports more inclusive, data-driven planning in mixed-traffic environments.