In What Ways Can Pedestrians of All Ages Be Protected by Traffic Engineering?
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In what ways can pedestrians of all ages be protected by traffic engineering?
Abstract
This report discussed the different ways in which pedestrians of all ages can be protected by traffic engineering. It focused on the design principles and how a traffic engineer can use engineering technique to achieve a safe, efficient and convenient walking condition and environment for the pedestrian. It also investigated how the needs of different groups of pedestrians varied and the ways in which those needs can be addressed to using traffic engineering techniques.
What is traffic engineering?
Traffic engineering is defined as a branch of civil engineering that deals with the planning, geometric design and traffic operations of transport routes such as streets, roads and highways. A traffic engineer uses engineering techniques to achieve a safe, efficient and convenient movement of persons and goods. This includes the installment of traffic signs, traffic lights and traffic management research.
It is the duty of every traffic engineer to ensure that traffic is managed safely for all road users.
What is a pedestrian?
A pedestrian is defined as a person travelling on foot, i.e. a person who walks or runs on a road, street or footpath.
According to the Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:11) walking makes up over ¼ of all journeys and 4/5 of journeys less than a mile, a journey is defined in the National Travel Survey as a one-way course of travel with a single main purpose, greater than 50 yards, on the public highway. The Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:11) also asserted that around ½ of all educational, 1/3 of all shopping, a ¼ of all social/entertainment and an 1/8 of all commuter journeys are made on foot. On average, a person would walk just under 200 miles on public roads annually.
Design Principles and Details for Traffic Engineers and the ways in which pedestrians are protected.
Walking is a mode of travel available to almost everybody, regardless of age, gender and education. Thus pedestrians are not a homogeneous group, as each person has different needs and abilities. For example wide pavements or footpaths are ideal for pedestrians during rush hour, uncluttered spaces are needed for those who are blind or partially sighted and step-free spaces are needed for those who use wheelchairs or are with buggies.
Considering the wide range of needs and abilities, the Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:63-64) asserted the importance of identifying the main types of pedestrians – the design pedestrians- since the needs of most pedestrians can be met by providing for those with mobility disabilities, i.e. the widths, gradients and the surfaces of a footpath suitable for a wheelchair user would also be satisfactory for practically all other pedestrians. Therefore as a requirement of the Disability Discrimination Act 1998, the meeting of needs of those with disabilities should be a fundamental part of the design process.
The Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:63-64) also claimed that several features of the walking environment such as curbs, steps, hill/ramps, uneven/narrow pavements, crowds and traffic/crossing roads can cause difficulties for pedestrians. Therefore it is important for those who are involved with the design process to be aware of the difficulties and possible harms that these features can post.
The Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:65) suggested that there is a recommended set of criteria to assess the overall quality of the existing environment for walking called the Five Cs which was developed by the London Planning Advisory Committee. The Five Cs ask: is the local environment – Connected? Comfortable? Convenient? Convivial? Conspicuous?
The Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:68) recommended that a pedestrian friendly approach should be adopted during the design process in order to minimize the unpleasantness, inconvenience and danger caused by motor vehicles and by unsympathetic highway designs to ensure the safety of pedestrians of all ages. The main objective of this approach is to develop the level of service for pedestrians, for example parking management, green travel plans, traffic calming and 20 mph limits.
The Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:71) suggested that a pedestrian audit procedure or mobility checklist should be adopted to help establish a pedestrian friendly design. The pedestrian audit procedure help to investigate all possibilities which would help improve the walking conditions, or at least prevent the walking conditions from worsening. The pedestrian audit procedure also helps make sure that all reasonable pedestrian needs are considered. It is important to consider different types of design and pedestrian attitudes towards the walking conditions. Therefore site visits, research on a route and how the route would be used are vital stages of the pedestrian audit procedure. For example, a pedestrian audit would include the following:
Are pedestrian desire lines provided for ? (For children to go to school, adults to go to work, elderly to go to healthcare centre etc.)
Are footway widths adequate? (For wheelchair users etc.)
Are pedestrians able to cross at convenient locations? (to ensure that pedestrians actually use the crossing etc)
Are pedestrians able to cross without undue delay?
Are the footway surfaces suitable? (For pedestrians with mobility disabilities or pedestrians who are blind or partially sighted etc.)
Are social safety considerations addressed? (to ensure the safety of all pedestrians of all ages)
The Institution of Highways and Transport (2000:69) also recommended that when considering how best to improve the walking environment in a given location, the options should be considered according to the following hierarchy:
Reduction of speed and volume of motorized traffic
Reallocation of road space to pedestrians
Where crossing is the main problem: Provision of at-grade crossing
Where pedestrian routes are inadequate: Improve routes by using desire lines as a basis, such as those between homes and key destinations such as local shops, bus stops and schools
New alignment for pedestrian routes/grade separation
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