Abstract:
A pedestrian friendly environment is too often overlooked in many of today’s cities. People who choose to walk are often times met with unkempt walkways or new developments that fail to keep the pedestrian in mind. Communities can only benefit by ensuring that pedestrian facilities are treated not as a secondary issue, but as an equally important part of the transportation system. To this end, an essential tool in maintaining a pedestrian system is a complete inventory of all walkways within a community. By utilizing a Geographic Information System (GIS), multiple data sets can be analyzed simultaneously, allowing decision makers to get the best possible representation of real world conditions. In examining the sidewalks of Superior, WI, it was evident that a majority (35%) of the city’s sidewalks were in great need of repair (with an additional 40% identified as needing attention in 10 to 15 years). The goal was to identify those corridors that should be given immediate priority based on multiple factors such as: 1. Pedestrian destinations - Schools, Parks, Senior Centers, Stores, Churches, Etc.; 2. Sidewalk condition; 3. Pedestrian accident locations; 4. Bus routes; 5. Bus shelters; 6. Crosswalks; 7. Functional road classifications; 8. Contention points (factors impeding pedestrians). The resulting inventory and accompanying document gave the city not only a valuable tool for deciding where new sidewalks were needed, but also supporting evidence to show the community why public money and assessments were being levied for sidewalks in certain areas. The benefits of performing a sidewalk inventory are many and the techniques used can easily be applied to other metropolitan areas, including: (1) Data gathering methods and organization within a GIS - As much of the data collected does not pertain only to sidewalks, it can be used again for other projects. (2) Methods to evaluate sidewalk condition - How should sidewalks be rated by condition and what is the most effective way to gather that information? (3) Criteria to identify corridors having the greatest need for attention - What are the most important factors that necessitate surrounding walkways be in top condition?
