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Title:

Pedestrian Infrastructure on Public Right-of-Way: Aging Pedestrians and Prioritizing Sidewalk Hazards Using Sidewalk Surface Profiler

Accession Number:

01559050

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Abstract:

Walkability is an important criterion of livable communities and has been tied to health and social benefits. New planning concepts reducing car dependency will increase senior residents’ time on sidewalks. While cities are required by Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) laws to reduce sidewalk hazards, the time and cost of gathering exact data have been a deterrent. The typical sampling of elements such as sidewalks, curb ramps, pedestrian crossings, and obstructions do not provide an adequate understanding of the hazards and barriers throughout a district. In particular, prioritizing the most critical sidewalk hazard locations for city maintenance is not organized and tied to other street maintenance plans. A new and innovative tool, the profiler, which was developed to measure various surface characteristics of roads, bridges, runways and commercial floors, allows 100% sidewalk inventory and converts the data into a city’s geographic information system (GIS) system. Knowing exactly the location and severity of sidewalk barriers increases the likelihood that all hazards are addressed, reducing the potential for falls and accidents. This innovative technology is now being tried in five cities. In the future, time and cost savings could be accrued, treating ADA code requirements on a regional rather than a city scale. As cities plan for greater sidewalk use by a new generation of aging residents, they can reduce potential accidents and the possibility of increased litigation.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE60 Accessible Transportation and Mobility. Alternate title: Pedestrian Infrastructure on the Public Right-of-Way: Aging Pedestrians and Prioritizing Sidewalk Hazards Using a Sidewalk Surface Profiler.

Monograph Accession #:

01550057

Report/Paper Numbers:

15-4926

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Khambatta, Arfaraz

Pagination:

8p

Publication Date:

2015

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; Photos; References

Uncontrolled Terms:

Surface profilers

Subject Areas:

Maintenance and Preservation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-4926

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Dec 30 2014 1:39PM