Walking and running speeds are important factors in planning for or analysing the actions of pedestrians. A factor commonly overlooked in these activities is the acceleration of pedestrians. Acceleration can have an important effect on pedestrian travel time (such as in running from a kerb to colliding with a vehicle). Ignoring acceleration effects can result in substantial errors. Pedestrian acceleration data are not readily available. This paper is derived from a study of walking, jogging and running speeds and associated accelerations of a sample of school children. Although the analyses presented primarily concern speeds and accelerations grouped by pedestrian age and sex, some potential influences of height and weight are also reported. Empirical equations relating age or sex to speed and acceleration are presented. The importance of acceleration in assessing pedestrian travel time is illustrated by example. The study was primarily undertaken to provide a source of data for the analysis of pedestrian collisions, but the data have the potential for wider application. (a).
Abstract