Assessment of Qualitative Level-of-Service for Pedestrians: Silchar, Assam

摘要

Pedestrians' movements are not restricted to lanes or specific routes. However, they are restricted by the physical boundaries around them such as the presence of walkways or pedestrian ways. To know how well roadways accommodate pedestrian travel and their friendly movements, it is necessary to assess the walking conditions offered to the pedestrians in a city. Estimation of pedestrian level of service (PLOS) is the most common approach to assess the quality of operations of pedestrian facilities. From the past studies, it is observed that most of the PLOS evaluation methodologies are based primarily on vehicular traffic flow theory. There is a limitation of PLOS evaluation method which comprises the basic requirements of pedestrians such as comfort, convenience, safety, security, and attractiveness. This study aims to identify and formulate a suitable methodology to evaluate PLOS for off-street pedestrian facilities in Silchar, Assam. In order to determine PLOS, a set of qualitative data are collected from six different locations in the city centre. A questionnaire survey is carried out to get the real-time response of pedestrians in the road environment. People of all genders and age group have participated in the survey. Weightage for various facilities are calculated using the maximum correlation coefficient and normalized survey data. PLOS is estimated with five categories ranging from 'A' which signify the availability of best facilities to 'E' indicates the worst conditions. It is carried out based on maximum and minimum score obtained from the analysis. Among five categories, three different PLOS are observed such as categories B, C, and D for the selected study locations. This study suggests an alternative approach which is more flexible and can easily be incorporated into design considerations. It will also help to evaluate and prioritize the needs of existing roadways for sidewalk construction and for other necessary facilities.