Walking has been always considered as a sustainable method of transportation which is more suitable for short distance trips. It is observed that tourists would prefer to walk more than local residents in cities with many tourist attractions located in close proximity. The City of Kandy, in Sri Lanka, can be recognized as one good example for such cities. Even though the tourists are willing to walk longer distances, this study has assessed the walking experience of a pedestrian in the city limits of Kandy, based on a walk score. Several walkability characteristics are taken into account to generate the walk score for segments of roads in the city and Pedestrian Level of Service (PLOS) was also considered. The objective of this study was to recognize the best walking paths between the tourist attractions using these qualities. This study used an evaluation criterion previously developed by Dias in 2012 to obtain the walk-score, and tourism specific features such as availability of shops and ATM machines were considered. The study area was based on the tourist attractions in Kandy. Data were collected through field surveys in 2018 to identify walking facilities provided and to estimate PLOS in the selected street segments. Twenty-six road segments were selected for the study and the Walk-score ranged from 24% to 60% with an average of 45%, which cannot be considered as a satisfactory situation. The results showed lack of pedestrian amenities in many street segments could be discouraging tourists to choose the street segment for their route. When selecting a walking path to reach a tourist destination it is expected that tourists will tend to select the best walking path.
BackgroundAccident statistics in Sri Lanka shows that nearly 35% of the fatalities are pedestrians and they are at a higher risk on roads. The main reason for the above is the absence or poor condition of pedestrian space on road sides. Even a narrow sidewalk can be converted to a pedestrian safe zone by introducing appropriate designs elements. As no clear methodology exists to evaluate pedestrian facilities road authorities do not pay much attention to pedestrian facilities.ObjectivesThe objective was to develop a score card that can evaluate the pedestrian facilities along a road link that include safety and comfort and be able to compare two road links with respect to walkability.MethodsExisting methods to evaluating walkability, which are qualitative in nature, were studied carefully to identify the relevant parameters affecting walkability. Method was develop to evaluate major parameters quantitatively such a way that observers biasness can be eliminated.ResultsThe proposed score card evaluates the pedestrian facilities on a road link not longer than 500 m. The score is given as a percentage and hence it can be used to compare two roads. This evaluates sidewalk width, obstructions, pedestrian crossings, pedestrian amenities, sidewalk paving conditions, land use mix, disability infrastructure etc.Contribution to the FieldThe deficiencies in pedestrian facilities especially with respect to safety can be identified in any road and a set of roads can be ranked according to their pedestrian safety and comfort level. Hence relevant authorities can take necessary steps in improving the identified deficiencies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.