In the past, transport planning has tended to concentrate too much on providing for the needs of motor vehicle movement, at the expense of pedestrians, cyclists, and especially disabled people. Many factors affect the demand for providing more and better pedestrian and cyclist facilities. Reliable estimates of existing demands for these facilities can be obtained by manual counts, video camera surveys, and attitude surveys. The prediction of future demand from estimates of existing demand involves deciding on an appropriate target or design year, then predicting the probable changes in walking and cycling up to that year. Priorities of need should be identified and ordered, in relation to safety, conflict, satisfying transport policy objectives, and cost-effectiveness. Pedestrian characteristics and requirements relate to walking speeds, walking distances, and seating. The future needs of cyclists need to be identified, and appropriate resources should be allocated to them. Pedestrian areas should sometimes be developed, but their design is difficult and complex. Special needs for disabled people include the normal pedestrian facilities, well-designed ramps and steps, carefully designed street furniture, good walking surface quality, and adequate directional and safety information. For the covering abstract, see IRRD 892228.
Abstract