Cete 47 PDF
Cete 47 PDF
Cete 47 PDF
Pedestrian Studies
Chapter 47
Pedestrian Studies
47.1 Introduction
People walk for many reasons: to go to a neighbour’s house, to run errands, for school, or
to get to a business meeting. People also walk for recreation and health benefits or for the
enjoyment of being outside. Some pedestrians must walk to transit or other destinations if
they wish to travel independently. It is a public responsibility to provide a safe, secure, and
comfortable system for all people who walk. In this lecture we will discuss about the pedestrian
problems, pedestrian survey (data collection), characteristics, different level of services, and
design principles of pedestrian facilities. There are many problems related to safety security of
pedestrians. These are discussed below in brief.
Special Problems
1. Age: Children under 15 years of age from the largest group of pedestrian victims and have
the highest injury rate per population in their age group, the elderly have the highest
fatality rate because of the lower probability of their recovery from injuries.
2. Intoxication and Drug effects: Alcohol and drugs impair the behavior of pedestrians to
the extent that they may be a primary cause of accident.
3. Dusk and Darkness: Special pedestrian safety problems arise during the hours of dusk
and darkness, when it is most difficult for motorists to see pedestrians.
1. The nature of the local community- Walking is more likely to occur in a community
that has a high proportion of young people.
2. Car ownership -The availability of the private car reduces the amount of walking, even
for short journey.
3. Local land use activities- Walking is primarily used for short distance trips. Conse-
quently the distance between local origins and destinations (e.g. homes and school, homes
and shops) is an important factor influencing the level of demand, particularly for the
young and elderly.
4. Quality of provision- If good quality pedestrian facilities are provided, then demand
will tend to increase.
5. Safety and security- It is important that pedestrians perceive the facilities to be safe
and secure. For pedestrians this means freedom from conflict with motor vehicle, as well
as a minimal threat from personal attack and the risk of tripping on uneven surfaces.
47.1.4 Terminology
1. Pedestrian speed is the average pedestrian walking speed, generally expressed in units of
meters per second.
2. Pedestrian flow rate is the number of pedestrians passing a point per unit of time, ex-
pressed as pedestrians per 15 min or pedestrians per minute. Point refers to a line of
sight across the width of a walkway perpendicular to the pedestrian path.
3. Pedestrian flow per unit of width is the average flow of pedestrians per unit of effective
walkway width, expressed as pedestrians per minute per meter (p/min/m). Pedestrian
density is the average number of pedestrians per unit of area within a walkway or queuing
area, expressed as pedestrians per square meter (p/m2).
4. Pedestrian space is the average area provided for each pedestrian in a walkway or queuing
area, expressed in terms of square meters per pedestrian. This is the inverse of density,
and is often a more practical unit for analyzing pedestrian facilities.
Manual counts
Count the flow of pedestrian through a junction, across a road, or along a road section/footway
manually using manual clicker and tally marking sheet. Manual counts need to satisfy the
following conditions.
1. The time period(s) in the day over which the counts are undertaken must coincide with
the peak times of the activity of study.
2. The day(s) of the week and month(s) of the year when observations are made must be
representative of the demand. School holidays, early closing, and special events should
be avoided since they can result in non-typical conditions.
3. The survey locations need to be carefully selected in order to ensure that the total existing
demand is observed.
Advantages of this manual counting are that these are simple to set up and carry out, and
flexible to response observed changes in demand on site and disadvantages are that these are
labour intensive also simple information can be achieved and not detailed information.
Video survey
Cameras are setup at the selected sites and video recording taken of the pedestrians during the
selected observation periods. A suitable vantage point for the camera is important. Such survey
produces a permanent record of pedestrian movement and their interaction with vehicles. In it
the record of behavior pattern is also obtained which helps in analyzing the crossing difficulties.
Attitude survey
Detailed questionnaire requires enabling complete information about pedestrian’s origins and
destination points, also can gather information on what new facilities, or improvements to ex-
isting facilities, need to be provided to divert trips to walking, or increase the current pedestrian
activities.
120
90 Students
60 Commuters
Shoppers
30
The fundamental relationship between speed, density, and volume for pedestrian flow is analo-
gous to vehicular flow. As volume and density increase, pedestrian speed declines. As density
increases and pedestrian space decreases, the degree of mobility afforded to the individual
pedestrian declines, as does the average speed of the pedestrian stream, it is shown in Fig. 47:1.
Flow-Density Relationships
The relationship among density, speed, and flow for pedestrians is similar to that for vehicular
traffic streams, and is expressed in equation.
where, Qped = unit flow rate (p/min/m), Sped = pedestrian speed (m/min), and Dped= pedestrian
density (p/m2 ). Pedestrian density is an awkward variable in that it has fractional values in
pedestrian per square meter. This relationship often expressed in terms of Space module(M)
which is the inverse of pedestrian density. The inverse of density is more practical unit for
analyzing pedestrian facilities ,so expression becomes
Sped
Qed = (47.2)
M
where M in(m2 /ped). The basic relationship between flow and space, recorded by several
researchers, is illustrated in the Fig. 47:2. The conditions at maximum flow represent the
Flow (p/min/m)
150
125
100
75
50
25
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Space2(m /p)
capacity of the walkway facility. From Fig. 47:2, it is apparent that all observations of maximum
unit flow fall within a narrow range of density, with the average space per pedestrian varying
between 0.4 and 0.9 m2 /p. Even the outer range of these observations indicates that maximum
flow occurs at this density, although the actual flow in this study is considerably higher than
in the others. As space is reduced to less than 0.4 m2 /p, the flow rate declines precipitously.
All movement effectively stops at the minimum space allocation of 0.2 to 0.3 m2 /p.
Speed-Flow Relationships
The following Fig. 47:3 illustrates the relationship between pedestrian speed and flow. These
curves, similar to vehicle flow curves, show that when there are few pedestrians on a walkway
(i.e., low flow levels), there is space available to choose higher walking speeds. As flow in-
creases, speeds decline because of closer interactions among pedestrians. When a critical level
of crowding occurs, movement becomes more difficult, and both flow and speed decline. The
Fig. 47:4 confirms the relationships of walking speed and available space, and suggests some
points of demarcation for developing LOS criteria. The outer range of observations indicates
that at an average space of less than 1.5 m2 /p, even the slowest pedestrians cannot achieve
their desired walking speeds. Faster pedestrians, who walk at speeds of up to 1.8 m/s, are not
able to achieve that speed unless average space is 4.0 m2 /p or more.
Pedestrian facility designers use body depth and shoulder breadth for minimum space standards,
at least implicitly. A simplified body ellipse of 0.50 m * 0.60 m, with total area of 0.30 m2 is
used as the basic space for a single pedestrian, as shown in Fig. 47:5 this represents the practical
Speed (m/s)
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
0 25 50 100 125 150
Flow (p/min/m)
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Space2(m /p)
0.5 m
body
depth
Pedestrian walking speed is highly dependent on the proportion of elderly pedestrians (65 years
old or more) in the walking population. If 0 to 20 per cent of pedestrians are elderly, the average
walking speed is 1.2 m/s on walkways. If elderly people constitute more than 20 per cent of
the total pedestrians, the average walking speed decreases to 1.0 m/s. In addition, a walkway
upgrade of 10 per cent or more reduces walking speed by 0.1 m/s. On sidewalks, the free-flow
speed of pedestrians is approximately 1.5 m/s. There are several other conditions that could
reduce average pedestrian speed, such as a high percentage of slow-walking children in the
pedestrian flow.
Pedestrian Space > 5.6 m2 /p Flow Rate ≤ 16 p/min/m. At a walkway LOS A, pedestrians move
in desired paths without altering their movements in response to other pedestrians. Walking
speeds are freely selected, and conflicts between pedestrians are unlikely. It is shown in Fig. 47:7.
LOS B
Pedestrian Space > 3.7 − 5.6 m2 /p Flow Rate > 16 − 23 p/min/m. At LOS B, there is sufficient
area for pedestrians to select walking speeds freely, to bypass other pedestrians, and to avoid
crossing conflicts. At this level, pedestrians begin to be aware of other pedestrians, and to
respond to their presence when selecting a walking path. It is shown in Fig. 47:8.
LOS C
Pedestrian Space > 2.2 −3.7 m2 /p Flow Rate > 23 −33 p/min/m. At LOS C, space is sufficient
for normal walking speeds, and for bypassing other pedestrians in primarily unidirectional
streams. Reverse-direction or crossing movements can cause minor conflicts, and speeds and
flow rate are somewhat lower. It is shown in Fig. 47:9.
LOS D
Pedestrian Space > 1.4 − 2.2 m2 /p Flow Rate > 33 − 49 p/min/m. At LOS D, freedom to select
individual walking speed and to bypass other pedestrians is restricted. Crossing or reverse flow
movements face a high probability of conflict, requiring frequent changes in speed and position.
The LOS provides reasonably fluid flow, but friction and interaction between pedestrians is
likely. It is shown in Fig. 47:10.
LOS E
Pedestrian Space > 0.75 − 1.4 m2 /p Flow Rate > 49 − 75 p/min/m. At LOS E, virtually
all pedestrians restrict their normal walking speed, frequently adjusting their gait. At the
lower range, forward movement is possible only by shuffling. Space is not sufficient for passing
slower pedestrians. Cross- or reverse-flow movements are possible only with extreme difficulties.
Design volumes approach the limit of walkway capacity, with stoppages and interruptions to
flow. It is shown in Fig. 47:11.
LOS F
Pedestrian Space ≤ 0.75 m2 /p Flow Rate varies p/min/m. At LOS F, all walking speeds
are severely restricted, and forward progress is made only by shuffling. There is frequent,
unavoidable contact with other pedestrians. Cross- and reverse-flow movements are virtually
impossible. Flow is sporadic and unstable. Space is more characteristic of queued pedestrians
than of moving pedestrian streams. It is shown in Fig. 47:12.
Average Pedestrian Space > 1.2 m2 /p. Standing and free circulation through the queuing area
is possible without disturbing others within the queue.
LOS B
Average Pedestrian Space > 0.9 − 1.2 m2 / p. Standing and partially restricted circulation to
avoid disturbing others in the queue is possible.
LOS C
Average Pedestrian Space > 0.6 − 0.9 m2 /p. Standing and restricted circulation through the
queuing area by disturbing others in the queue is possible; this density is within the range of
personal comfort.
LOS D
Average Pedestrian Space > 0.3 − 0.6 m2 /p. Standing without touching is possible; circulation
is severely restricted within the queue and forward movement is only possible as a group;
long-term waiting at this density is uncomfortable.
LOS E
Average Pedestrian Space > 0.2 − 0.3 m2 /p. Standing in physical contact with others is un-
avoidable; circulation in the queue is not possible; queuing can only be sustained for a short
period without serious discomfort.
LOS F
Average Pedestrian Space ≤ 0.2 m2 /p. Virtually all persons within the queue are standing in
direct physical contact with others; this density is extremely uncomfortable; no movement is
possible in the queue; there is potential for panic in large crowds at this density.
The signalized intersection crossing is more complicated to analyze than a mid-block crossing,
because it involves intersecting sidewalk flows, pedestrians crossing the street, and others queued
waiting for the signal to change. The service measure is the average delay experienced by a
pedestrian. Research indicates that the average delay of pedestrians at signalized intersection
crossings is not constrained by capacity, even when pedestrian flow rates reach 5,000 p/h. The
average delay per pedestrian for a crosswalk is given by Equation:
0.5(C − g)2
dp = (47.3)
C
Where, dp = average pedestrian delay (s), g = effective green time (for pedestrians) (s), and C=
cycle length (s).
Numerical example
Calculate time delay of pedestrian crossing at a signalized intersection operating on a two phase,
80.0-s cycle length, with 4.0-s change interval, and no pedestrian signals. Major street: Phase
green time, Gd = 44.0 s; Crosswalk length, Ld = 14.0 m; Minor street: Crosswalk length, Lc
= 8.5 m; Phase green time, Gc = 28.0 s;
Solution dp =(c − g)2 /2c, dp (major) = (80.0 - 28.0)* (80.0 - 28.0)/2(80), = 16.9 s (i.e. LOS
B using above table), dp (minor) = (80.0 - 44.0)* (80.0 - 44.0)/2(80) = 8.1 s (i.e. LOS A using
above table).
1. Width: The minimum clear width of a pedestrian access route shall be 1220 mm
exclusive of the width of curb. It varies according to pedestrian flow rate and different
LOS. It is shown in following Table.
2. Cross slope: The cross slope of the pedestrian access route shall be maximum 1:48.
3. Surfaces: Surface should be firm, stable, slip resistance and prohibit openings & avoid
service elements i.e. manholes etc.
A buffer zone of 1.2 to 1.8 m (4 to 6 ft) is desirable and should be provided to separate
pedestrians from the street. The buffer zone will vary according to the street type. In downtown
or commercial districts, a street furniture zone is usually appropriate.
3. The parallel line should be 0.2-0.6 m in width and min. length 1.8 m (standard 3m).
4. Marking may be of different type to increase visibility like as solid, standard, continental,
dashed, zebra, ladder. It is shown in Fig. 47:13.
1. It works best when refuse area median is greater than cross walk width or 3.6 m, have
a surface area of at least 4.6 sq.m, are free of obstructions, have adequate drainage, and
provide a flat, street level surface to provide accessibility to people with disabilities.
2. The Refuge area width should be at least 1.2 m wide and depend upon traffic speed.
It should be 1.5m wide on streets with speeds between 40-48 kmph, 1.8 m wide(48-56
kmph), and 2.4 m (56-72 kmph).
1. These are expensive method but eliminate all or most conflicts. These may be warranted
for critical locations such as schools factory gates, sports arenas, and major downtown
intersections (specially in conjunction with transit stations).
2. Overpasses are less expensive than underpass. However , vertical rise and fall to be
negotiated by pedestrians is usually greater for an overpass, and it may be aesthetically
inferior.
4. Ramps slopes not greater than 1:12 (8.33%) are preferable to flights of stairs to accom-
modate wheelchair, strollers, and bicycles and to comply with ADA.
Crosswalk D
Sidewalk A
Vdi
Wa Vdo
W
d
2
Vco Vci Area = 0.215R
where, TS =available time-space (m2 -s), Wa = effective width of Sidewalk a (m), Wb = effective
width of Sidewalk b (m), R = radius of corner curb (m), and C = cycle length (s).
where, Gs=min time gap in sec, W= width of crossing section, ts= startup time, tc=consecutive
time between two pedestrian, N=no of rows, and Sped =pedestrian speed.
Figure 47:16: In-Pavement Raised Markers with Amber LED Strobe Lighting and LED Signs
Given w=7.5m; tc= 3 sec Sped = 0.9m/s Find out N N=27/5 i.e. 6 row (5 containing 5 & 6th
containing 2) Time gap
W
Gs = + tc(N − 1) + ts
Sped
= [(7.5/0.9) + 2(6 − 1) + 3]
= 21.33sec
47.5 Conclusion
This lectures covers pedestrian problems, their characteristics, different level of services and de-
sign principles of pedestrian facilities. Pedestrian as the most basic unit / component for street
and public space design. Pedestrian includes vulnerable road users - elderly, disabled, children,
people with luggage etc. Safety of pedestrians to be on top priority (to be never compro-
mised by design / policy). Effective integration of technical innovations, policies, institutional
mechanisms for pedestrian safety.
47.6 References
1. Pedestrians Research Problem Statements. Transportation Research Circular E-C084,
Transportation Research Board, 2005.
5. Adolf D. May. Fundamentals of Traffic Flow. Prentice - Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliff New
Jersey 07632, second edition, 1990.