Pedestrian zone

Abstract: Today's traffic environment is not well adapted to the needs of the older pedestrian. Unfortunately, except in the case of children, little is known about the characteristics and behavior of pedestrians. Although the simple fact that older pedestrians walk more slowly than younger ones is easily supported by field data, existing data on walking speeds and start-up time (i.e., the time from the onset of a Walk signal until the pedestrian steps off the curb) have many shortcomings. A series of field studies was conducted to quantify the walking speed and start-up time of pedestrians of various ages under different conditions. Sixteen crosswalks in four urban areas were studied. Data were collected on walking speeds and start-up times relative to site and environmental factors, including street width, posted speed, curb height, grade, number of vehicle travel lanes, signal cycle length, pedestrian-signal type, street functional classification, crosswalk type, and channelization. Data on a subject group of pe...

Abstract: Transit-oriented development (TOD) represents an integrated approach to transportation and land use planning. An often unspoken but key component to TOD theory is pedestrian access between the transit stop and the immediately surrounding area. Understanding the opportunities for pedestrian movement should be a key component in understanding and evaluating TOD projects. The TOD-pedestrian link is addressed by using 12 geographic information system (GIS) based walkability measures, within two geographic scales, and across 11 TOD sites in Portland, Oregon, to visualize and quantify the pedestrian environments at each site. The main addition to the larger research on TOD and pedestrian access is the classification of the street network into pedestrian-friendly and pedestrian-hostile categories. Subsequent analysis based on this refined street data is conducted to identify the quantity of different street types, densities of good intersections and dead ends, and the catchment areas pedestrians are likely able to reach. The presence and location of pedestrian-hostile streets have a significant, negative influence on the pedestrian environment surrounding transit stops, often cutting off more-pedestrian-friendly environments from the transit stops. The three primary sections include a comparative TOD ranking, a detailed explanation (visual, quantitative, and textual) of the relationships between individual walkability measures and overall TOD rankings, and a presentation of possible refinements for future GIS-based walkability analysis.

Abstract: In a “car-free” city centre car traffic is limited by an area-wide ban to its functionally necessary share. This usually includes delivery and service vehicles and residents' cars. The lock-out of unnecessary car traffic must not be an isolated measure, but part of a pulland-push approach. The most important supporting measure concerns the provision of attractive public transport services. Case studies from Bologna, Lubeck, Aachen, York, and Nuremburg are reported.

Abstract: Transportation planners are recognizing the need for improved conditions for pedestrians. The challenges to pedestrian mobility and sidewalk accessibility include the lack of pedestrian activity, the lack of sidewalk maintenance, the lack of pedestrian planning, the lack of political and financial support for pedestrian planning, and the lack of administrative and technical capacity to implement pedestrian planning. Out of numerous cities in the Central Ohio region, only Worthington had a sidewalk master plan. A pedestrian plan is more likely to succeed if it is incorporated into a comprehensive transportation plan that includes public involvement.