PEDESTRIANS AND DOWNTOWN

THE SYSTEM DOWNTOWN--VEHICLE--PEDESTRIAN IS DISCUSSED. THE TYPICAL DOWNTOWN IS A REGIONAL CENTER FOR BUSINESS, SHOPPING, CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES SERVED BY TWO FUNCTIONALLY DISTINCT TRANSPORTATION SUBSYSTEMS, A FEEDER AND A DISTRIBUTOR. THE LATTER IS DISPERSED AND COMPRISES SHORT, IRREGULAR, MULTIPURPOSE TRIP LINKAGES MOST EFFICIENTLY ACCOMMODATED BY WALKING. TRADITIONALLY, MOST TRIPS WITH A LOCAL O&D ARE, IN FACT, MADE ON FOOT. HOWEVER, THE IMPORTANCE OF AN EFFICIENT INTERNAL PEDESTRIAN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM HAS BEEN LOST SIGHT OF IN THE ENDEAVOR TO PROVIDE HIGHER USE INTENSITIES AND MORE EFFICIENT VEHICLE MOVEMENT, ESPECIALLY THROUGH MOVEMENT. EVEN SIDEWALKS ARE NARROWED AND TEND TO BECOME REFUSE BINS FOR THE PARAPHERNALIA OF VEHICULAR GUIDANCE AND PUBLIC UTILITIES. QUITE APART FROM INCONVENIENCES TO THE INDIVIDUAL PEDESTRIAN, THIS THOUGHTLESSNESS EVENTUALLY HAS AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON THE DOWNTOWN ITSELF, MAKING IT AN UNSIGHTLY AND CONGESTED PLACE THAT IS ATTRACTIVE NEITHER TO PEDESTRIAN NOR THE AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE FAMILIAR DECLINE OF THE CBD. EXPERIMENTS WITH PEDESTRIAN MALLS AND OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS OF PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT INDICATE THAT DESIGN FOR PEDESTRIANISM CAN REVERSE THIS TREND. SEVERAL CITIES HAVE EXPERIMENTED SUCCESSFULLY WITH FULLY SEPARATED PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES (LONDON, MONTREAL, MINNEAPOLIS, CINCINNATI). TRAFFIC ENGINEERS MUST SHIFT THE EMPHASIS FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL CONCENTRATION ON VEHICULAR MOVEMENT TOWARD GREATER CONSIDERATION OF THE IMPACT OF THIS TRAFFIC ON THE QUALITY AND VIABILITY OF URBAN LIFE.

  • Corporate Authors:

    Institute of Traffic Engineers

    2029 K Street, NW
    Washington, DC    20006
  • Authors:
    • FRUIN, J J
  • Publication Date: 1972-9

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00224086
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Apr 17 1973 12:00AM