The FRAV research group at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos is involved in the European Cost Action 358 “Pedestrian Quality Needs”. The main objective of this action is to improve the knowledge of pedestrians’ quality needs. A better understanding of pedestrian needs will be useful to have better walking conditions, stimulating structural and functional interventions and improving safety. In this Cost Action the FRAV Group decided to select one city and measure some values to have a better understanding of the pedestrians needs of walking. Some requirements will be imposed to the city in which the study will have placed. Most important one is to be representative of as much cities as possible. Other necessity is to be near the research group in order to control the process. In Spain big cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, etc.) has increased its population in exponential way during 1900-1980 but in 1980 this kind of concentration of populations ended. In 1980 the grown of big cities stopped and cities surrounding this attraction points start to increase its population. Actually, the 25% of the population lives in a town of 10-50.000 inhabitants and the 34% of the population is concentrated in the regions of Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona and Seville. The research group avoid the big cities. Pedestrian problems in big cities are very complex (not only pedestrian needs are involved) and has to be considered in a huge multidisciplinary team. More significant data and useful information could be obtained form one mid-size town. Our selection was “El Escorial”, a mid-size town in the region of Madrid. El Escorial is a town of 14.113 inhabitants (in 2006) located in the northeast of Madrid. The distance from Madrid (3.128.000 habitants) is 45 kilometres. So, all conditions are considered: representativity, population size and distance to a big city. To have a better understanding of the pedestrian needs the research group decided to obtain first some information directly from the inhabitants. This information were collected as a poll integrated in the cost action 358 Pedestrian Quality Needs. The estimated sample size to be collected is 1000. The final article will show the results of this poll. Questions of the poll were selected from the questions pointed out in the Cost Action. This survey were delivered in the public libraries, public schools, city council and other public open areas. Answers of this survey will give us an indication about the real and perceived pedestrian needs. This is the first phase of our study. Once these answers were evaluated, information will also be obtained from local policemen and city authorities. Comparison between both answers will served to mark a direction in which work will continue. (Author/publisher) This publication may be accessed by Internet users at: http://www.ictct.org/workshop.php?workshop_nr=25
Samenvatting