Selection and Assessment of Pedestrian Areas in Urban Environments: Model- and Expert-Opinion-Based Approach

Many cities worldwide have implemented pedestrian zones in the past years, as part of an effort to ease the impacts of congestion. However, as pedestrianisation directly affects traffic circulation, operation and accessibility, the issue of optimally selecting pedestrianisation areas within an urban road network is pivotal. The present paper applies a bi-level optimization method for identifying road links and axes within an urban road network, which, if selected for pedestrianisation, would result in the minimum impacts on overall traffic and accessibility. The method is based on a unified network performance measure for calculating the criticality of network links, using the total network demand and the difference in travel time as a consequence of a link closure. Outcomes of the proposed method are presented for a case study in Thessaloniki, Greece. Using a detailed traffic model, the authors present parts of the road network where traffic is restricted for private vehicles and turned into pedestrian zones, causing less additional travel times to the entire network. Results are expressed in traffic-related performance measures (e.g. network travel time). Road links for pedestrianisation are ranked and validated through a survey, targeted to experts and representatives of the responsible local governmental authority.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADB40 Standing Committee on Transportation Demand Forecasting.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Stamos, Iraklis
  • Mitsakis, Evangelos
  • Salanova Grau, Josep Maria
  • Morfoulaki, Maria
  • Kotoula, Kornilia Maria
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2016-1-10 to 2016-1-14
• Date: 2016

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 95th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Case studies; Network links; Optimization; Pedestrian areas; Performance measurement; Traffic congestion; Travel time; Urban areas
• Geographic Terms: Thessaloniki (Greece)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01589790
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 16-3272
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 3 2016 1:22PM