Pedestrian Satisfaction-Based Methodology for Prioritization of Critical Sidewalk and Crosswalk Attributes Influencing Walkability

Abstract

Rapid urbanization combined with limited attention to walk-facilities has resulted in a substantial increase in overall pedestrian injuries and deaths in India. Developing policies based on user perception to improve existing pedestrian infrastructure is key to promoting safe and walkable pedestrian movement in urban areas. This paper demonstrates a pedestrian satisfaction-based methodology to prioritize an essential set of attributes influencing safety and walkability at sidewalks and crosswalks. Initially, an exhaustive set of 15 sidewalk- and 11 crosswalk-related attributes influencing safety and walkability were identified from a literature review. Subsequently, pedestrian perceptions of associated importance and satisfaction toward the identified attributes were collected using a five-point Likert scale. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at selected pedestrian crash-prone locations in Hyderabad, India. The data was analyzed using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), a widely used multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) method to rank the attributes based on user priority. Importance–satisfaction analysis (ISA) was then used to group the attributes in a set of quadrants based on associated standardized satisfaction and importance, respectively. The relative strength and weakness of different sidewalk and crosswalk attributes were measured and compared simultaneously using TOPSIS and ISA. Both TOPSIS and ISA were simultaneously used to estimate and compare various sidewalk and crosswalk attribute relative strengths and weaknesses. Results indicated that physical separation from traffic, sidewalk amenities, sidewalk width, sidewalk continuity, and sidewalk cleanliness were the most important sidewalk attributes, but were rated as less than satisfactory, requiring immediate intervention. The crosswalk-specific priority attributes requiring urgent attention were vehicle stop-line behavior, conflicts with turning traffic, zebra crossing, pedestrian holding space. These research findings are expected to be critical inputs for rational decision-making regarding pedestrian infrastructure improvement in developing countries in general and Indian cities in particular.