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I think that the practical implication of Transol's comments (copied below)
is that sidewalks and paths must be wide enough to accommodate a range of
walking speeds. Of course, you need to add sufficient shy distance too.
Even more width is needed to accommodate prams, wheelchairs, handtrucks and
skaters. And these dimensions must be based on "functional width", which
excludes obsticals such as sign posts, light standards and other clutter in
the walkway.
I only remember one study that attempts to quantify pedestrian speeds, and
I criticized it when it was presented at a TRB conference a few years ago.
A professor at the University of British Columbia had his students walk on
a track in order to develop a density function, similar to vehicle LOS. His
research was funded by a developer who wanted to reduce the sidewalk width
requirements in a business district, and sure enough the results "proved"
that plenty of commuter pedestrians could be packed into a narrower
sidewalk than required. But this was based on healthy young people walking
for transportation. The formula fails as soon as you have somebody stop to
look at a shop window, a person with disabilities in the traffic stream, or
a pothole in the pathway.
Below are some reports that discuss level of service concepts for pedestrians:
Julie Mercer Matlick, If We Build It, Will They Come?, Washington State DOT
(Olympia; www.wsdot.wa.gov), undated.
Joseph Milazzo, et al., Quality of Service for Interruped Pedestrian
Facilities in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research
Board Annual Meeting, 1999.
Barry Wellar, Walking Security Index; Final Report, Geography Department,
University of Ottawa (Ottawa; 613-562-5725; [log in to unmask]), 1998.
PBQD, The Pedestrian Environment, 1000 Friends of Oregon
(www.teleport.com/~friends) 1993.
Donald Rintoul, Social Cost of Transverse Barrier Effects, Planning
Services Branch, B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways (Victoria;
www.th.gov.bc.ca/bchighways), 1995.
Frankly, I think that pedestrian planning must be treated more as art than
science, and that any pedestrian planner should spend a few days each year
in a wheelchair or pushing a pram as a reminder of the range of needs.
Below are some good resources for pedestian planning and accessible design.
Pedestrian Planning
-------------------
America WALKs (www.webwalking.com/amwalks) is a coalition of walking
advocacy groups.
ITE, Design and Safety of Pedestrian Facilities, Institute of
Transportation Engineers (Washington DC; www.ite.org), publication RP-026A,
1998, US$38.
National Transportation Week Pedestrian Website
(www.ota.fhwa.dot.gov/ntw/bikeped.htm) provides information and links to
pedestrian planning websites.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) provides
pedestrian safety resources.
Partnership for a Walkable America, (http://nsc.org/walk/wkabout.htm)
promotes the benefits of walking and supports efforts to make communities
more pedestrian friendly.
Pedestrian Crossing Control Manual for B.C., B.C. Ministry of
Transportation and Highways (2nd edition), 1996.
Pedestrian Crossing Control Manual, Transportation Association of Canada
(Ottawa; 613-736-1350; www.tac-atc.ca), 1998.
Rhys Roth, Getting People Walking: Municipal Strategies to Increase
Pedestrian Travel, WSDOT (Olympia; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ta/t2/t2pubs.htm), 1994.
UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
(www.roads.detr.gov.uk/roadsafety/rs/index.htm) publishes Road Safety
Education in Schools - Good Practice Guidelines that describe how to create
a safer pedestrian environment.
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration's pedestrian program
(www.ota.fhwa.dot.gov/walk) provides pedestrian safety information and
resources.
Richard Untermann, "Taming the Automobile: How We Can Make our Streets More
'Pedestrian Friendly'", Planning Commission, Issue 1,
(www.webcom.com/~pcj/Articles/unt002.html) 1991.
Ellen Vanderslice, Portland Pedestrian Design Guide, and Pedestrian Master
Plan, Pedestrian Transportation Program, City of Portland (503-823-7004;
[log in to unmask]), 1998.
Pedestrian Facilities Guidebook: Incorporating Pedestrians Into
Washington's Transportation System, Washington State Department of
Transportation (Olympia; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ta/t2/t2pubs.htm), 1997.
Walkable Communities, Inc. (www.walkable.org) works with communities to
create more people-oriented environments.
Walk Tall; A Citizen's Guide to Walkable Communities, Rodale Press (Emmaus)
and Pedestrian Federation of America (Washington DC; www.bikefed.org), 1995.
The WSDOT Pedestrian website
(www.wsdot.wa.gov/hlrd/Sub-defaults/Pedestrian-default.htm) provides
extensive reference information and examples of Washington State's
outstanding pedestrian planning programs.
Accessible Design
-----------------
The Access Board (www.access-board.gov) is a U.S. federal agency that
develops policies and recommendations for accessible design.
Access Exchange International (San Francisco;
[log in to unmask]) is a non-profit organization that provides
resources and coordination to develop cost-effective handicapped access in
developing as well as developed countries.
Community Transportation Association of America (www.ctaa.org) provides
resources for improving mobility for disadvantaged populations.
Pedestrian Access Guidelines, City of North Vancouver, (www.cnv.org), 1998.
Sincerely,
Todd Litman, Director
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
1250 Rudlin Street
Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada
Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://www.islandnet.com/~litman
At 04:24 AM 8/25/99 EDT, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>I perceive frompractical experience that there are at least 2 typical
walking
>speeds - for walking as transport - often with a speed of 4-5 mph, and
>walking as an activity interacting with other factors (socialising, leisure,
>windo shopping &c)
>
>Because so many schemes assume a uniform walking behaviour we see much
>conflict and unnecessary congestion plus pedestrian transport often forcing
>routes outside safety barriers, and by shortest distance across roads, and
>not tolerant of stopping at all (as this all adds to total journey time).
>
>There is clearly much to do in planning walking areas, but I would suggest
>that behaviour of fluids in laminar flow situations can give some ideas on
>laminar flow of pedestrians in precincts - keeping the transport walking on
>clear flow routes away from the eddies around doorways, and allowing those
>who walok for transport a smoother passage - after all they may well be
going
>up to twice the speed of slower walkers and the effect could be seen as
>similar to tolerating 35mph vehicles at random lane position on a 70mph dual
>carriageway.
>
>Any thoughts - any papers on this around?
>
>
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