The Board Papers
ARTISTS Arterial Streets Towards Sustainability
Ase Svensson
Summary: ARTISTS (Arterial Streets Towards Sustainability) is a joint European Project funded by the European Commission, a part of Key Action City of Tomorrow and Cultural Heritage in the Fifth Framework Programme Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development http://www.tft.lth.se/artists/ The problems of traffic congestion, accidents, air pollution and excessive noise that are characteristic of large parts of most European towns and cities are usually to be found in their most extreme form along the major arterial streets. Yesterdays arterial streets were planned as if there only were car driver interests to take into consideration; which obviously is not true for todays arterial streets that have to manage many different and sometimes conflicting functions, of which some are not transport-related at all. Arterial streets, therefore, present a particular challenge to sustainable urban planning, as they attempt to meet at least four, often conflicting functions. Arterial streets are main channels for through-going traffic between different parts of the city (1), provide access for various kinds of traffic to buildings (2), are often market places (3), and are meeting places where residents and visitors meet, talk and take part in events (4). ... More
Assessing Pedestrian quality needs – progress
Rob Methorst, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, The Netherlands
Summary: The aim of the PQN project is to identify what people need for their safe and agreeable mobility in public space, to relate those needs to structural and functional interventions and policy making, and to show the added value of a proactive systems approach compared to sectoral approaches. ... More
Assessing Pedestrians Quality Needs - progress
Rob Methorst
Summary: In 2006 the COST 358 Pederstrians’ Quality Needs project was started for substantiating such an approach. The project includes 20 European countries, 49 research organisations and over 70 researchers. The project was initiated by ICTCT. Progress will be presented at the yearly WALK21 conferences as well as the ICTCT workshops. ... More
Assessing Pedestrians’ Needs: The European COST 358 PQN project
Rob Methorst, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, DVS Centre for Transport and Navigation, Safety Section
Summary: The Pedestrians’ Quality Needs (PQN) project has been established to identify what people need for their safe and agreeable mobility and sojourn in public space and to show the added value of a systems approach compared with sectoral approaches. The idea to start the project received much support in both the scientific and policy development communities. Important opportunities are developments with regard to systems approach, new spatial concepts, health awareness and ICT developments. The project context further comprises that there are several pedestrian problems on strategic, tactical and operational levels as well as some trends that will probably endanger the position and well being of the pedestrian. Pedestrians have many different needs. Basic needs like health and mobility can be seen as preconditions. Reliability and convenience are dissatisfyers and comfort and attractiveness are the satisfies, the icing on the cake. The pedestrians’ needs will be analysed and substantiated using a conceptual framework that is based on a systems approach. The issues will be studied form a number of perspectives: functional needs, perceived needs and durability and future progress. Needs will have to be translated into system requirements. Attention will be given to all elements in the system and their interrelations. Thus requirements will be determined for physical facilities, the social environment, the transportation system and with regard to supporting the pedestrians’ ability to cope independently. Here the Design for All principle (Universal Design) will be leading. It is to be expected that policy implementation can best be streamlined according to a cascade in focus of attention: first preconditions, then latent (accident) causes and lastly behavioural measures. It is assumed that every adequate policy starts with knowledge. The second precondition is the (political) willingness to change the situation. If there is willingness, then it becomes important that one is able to do something: time, money, manpower, skills, tools, authority etc. Lastly, measures have to be implemented. The project results are to cover all these aspects. With regard to the study some practical considerations apply. The first research task is to gather available information, knowledge and expertise. For this Country Reports are the instrument. Based on the outcome of the Country Reports four working groups will deal with the specific research questions, deduced from the conceptual framework. There are working groups on Functional Needs, on Perceived Needs, Durability and Future Prospects and on Coherence and Integration. A Senior Management Group, made up of the chair, vice chair and the working group leaders, is established to co-ordinate the action on a day-to-day basis. Twice a year the PQN Management Committee meets to discuss progress and decide on strategic project matters. The project is ‘work in progress’. In the paper current (September 2007) results are listed. Preliminary conclusions are: • A new comprehensive approach is taking form • Research is supported by policy makers on international level • There is great need for empirical data, but they are hardly available • For the time being expert assessment is the only real option. ... More
Assessing slip resistance of wintery walkways with a novel portable slipmeter
Carita Aschan, Mikko Hirvonen, Erkki Rajamaki and Tarmo Mannelin
Summary: In Finland about 70 000 pedestrian and bicycle falling accidents occur yearly at the street, walkways and courtyards leading to serious consequences. The total costs of these accidents including the indirect costs are estimated to be as high as 420 million euros. Maintenance of the walkways in winter for example to the City of Helsinki causes costs of about 4 million euros per year but the costs of pedestrian and bicycle falling accidents are estimated to be tenfold. In general, slipping is due to fairly complex causal pathways, involving both environmental and human factors. The primary environmental factor behind slipping accidents is the slip resistance characteristics of the underfoot surface. Especially in winter, when the walking surfaces are often covered e.g. by ice, snow, slush or frost, slipping accidents are mainly due to the inadequate friction between footwear and underfoot surfaces. Portable devices measuring friction, i.e. slipmeters, may be used for assessing slipperiness of different walking surfaces in situ. However, the validity of these portable test devices should be improved by bringing them within the range of human slipping conditions observed in biomechanical studies. Therefore, a new portable device was designed and constructed at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH). The applicable measurement parameters of the device represent the actual kinematics during critical gait phases. ... More
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