Sit, Stand, Or Sell: The Impact Of Street Furniture on Pedestrian Level Of Service

This study is an extension of work done for the Waikiki Business Improvement District Association (WBIDA) related to measuring the impacts of changes in the physical environment on pedestrian level-of-service. Using methods and data developed for this project the authors estimate the impacts of various types of street furniture - both fixed and movable items - on pedestrian level of service. The authors consider typical items such as benches, bicycle racks, planter boxes, trees, mail boxes, brochure bins, trash cans, as well as other potential additions to the sidewalk areas such as vending and coffee carts and tables and chairs. These various types of street furniture were measured and then observational surveys were conducted to estimate the volume of use during the peak times. Then using a typical high volume pedestrian location with observed volumes, the impact of the street furniture on pedestrian level of service is estimated. Based on these findings the authors provide estimates of the following: 1) the maximum number of pedestrian volume that can be accommodated with the added street furniture and still maintain a passable LOS rating of B; 2) estimates of the minimum sidewalk width necessary to maintain LOS rating B with increases of pedestrian volumes of 10%, 20%, and 30%; and 3) for coffee carts and vending carts – the street furniture with the highest potential impact, the estimated number of customers that can be accommodated and still maintain a LOS rating of B. The findings suggest that different street furniture has different types of impacts and that designers and planners need to be cognizant not only of the dimensions of the street furniture, but also the sidewalk width, pedestrian volumes, and the potential number of users or customers.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Kim, Karl
  • Settachai, Napat
  • Yamashita, Eric Yukio
  • Hallonquist, Lauren
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2008-1-13 to 2008-1-17
• Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 22p
• Monograph Title: TRB 87th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Design; Impacts; Level of service; Pedestrian traffic; Pedestrians; Sidewalks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Street furniture
• Geographic Terms: Hawaii
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01088847
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 08-2367
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 25 2008 2:36PM