The experience that you have as a pedestrian as you travel down a street can be rated using a system established by our nation’s transportation authority, the Federal Highway Administra­tion (FHWA). The FHWA uses measures such as speed, travel time, ability to maneuver, comfort, and safety to determine pedestrian level of service (LOS) ratings.

An ‘A’ level of service (similar to a restaurant’s five-star rating) is where you can walk at your own speed, easily pass others, incur few delays, and maneuver without being restricted or crowded by other pedestrians. Level F is a situation where you are forced to walk slowly and stop frequently because the sidewalk is acting as a crowded storage area rather than a travel lane.

Here are some factors used to rate the pedestrian walking experience.

Walking Speed. Pedestri­ans are most satisfied when they can walk as fast as they choose and least satisfied when they cannot. As such, walking speeds are used in almost all LOS calculations. Slow speeds often indicate over-crowding or the need to extend pedestrian green time at intersections.

Walkway Width. The walkable area of your sidewalk is probably narrower than you think. Fixed objects such as benches, trees, and sidewalk vendors reduce your effective sidewalk width. When making level of service calculations, your effective sidewalk width must account for all obstructions that reduce the area within which pedestrians can walk.

Space. A key measure of service is space: how much area each person has within which to maneuver. The higher the area per person, the better the LOS. For example, a walkway with 60 square feet of space per person during rush time would warrant an ‘A’ rating. A sidewalk with an ‘F’ level of service would provide less than eight square feet of space per person. Low ratings may indicate the need to widen a sidewalk.

Signal Delays. Pedestrians are impatient. If they are delayed at a red light for more than 30 seconds, they may ignore the signal and cross against traffic. With this in mind, the FHWA has determined that an ‘A’ rating is where pedestrians are delayed less than ten seconds. For delays more than 60 seconds, the FHWA recommends an ‘F’ rating. These ratings are used to identify if remedial measures, such as longer pedestrian green times, are needed.

Flow Rate. Compare flow rate with your ability to move through a crowded restaurant with narrow aisles. Your perception of service decreases if you are bumped and spill your drinks as you and others make your way to open tables.

If people are similarly limited in their freedom to maneuver within a given width of sidewalk, their satisfaction levels also decrease. The larger the pedestrian unit flow rate (people per minute per foot), the worse the LOS.

Pedestrians walk in many different areas: sidewalks, shared bicycle paths, bus platforms, airport terminals, and crosswalks to name a few. As such, the FHWA has different LOS procedures to address these many walking environments. Make sure you use the correct procedure to identify and correct deficiencies that contribute to a poor walking experience.

For more information on pedestrian traffic, contact Dennis Judson at (585) 334-1310, ext. 226 or djudson@fisherassoc.com.

Pedestrians Shy Away From Fixed Objects

A tree or newsstand takes up more useable space than you might think. When pedestrians meet fixed objects in the walk area, they need time and space to detour around them. The effective length of an obstruction is actually five times its size!

If there are a large number of obstructions in the sidewalk, one after another, pedestrians will not zigzag around them. They will stay in the open walk area until they clear the fixed objects.

Be careful as to how and where you locate your landscaping and pedestrian amenities. Although these can add pizzazz to a tired streetscape, they should not be overused or placed where pedestrians will have trouble walking around them.

Calculating Walking Speed

Four feet per second is used as the average walking speed in most level of service calculations. If there are a higher number of elderly or female walkers, the FHWA recommends a lower speed.

Elderly walkers are more likely to hesitate, get confused, or have trouble getting up and down curbs.

Females of all age groups walk at a more relaxed pace then males. Lower walking speeds should also be used if you are evaluating areas with steep hills or where there are young children, such as near an elementary school.