2019年9月
Changes in Subjective and Objective Comfort for Pedestrians and Cyclists After Road-Space Reallocation : A Case Study of Midosuji, Osaka
The 13th International Conference of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies(EASTS)
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- 記述言語
- 英語
- 掲載種別
- 研究論文（国際会議プロシーディングス）
The road reallocation project for pedestrians and cyclists is making steady progress; for instance, wider footpaths and well-maintained bicycle paths can be observed.
In Japan, a similar reallocation project on Midosuji, the main street in Osaka, started in 2017 based on the concept of human-centered urban space. The project has been undertaken by widening the space for pedestrians and cyclists and narrowing the roadways. This is an effort to ensure the comfort of pedestrians and cyclists. The Level of Service (LOS) concept is often used to evaluate user comfort. This is one of the indicators of comfort in the traffic space. The US Highway capacity manual of 2016 has divided LOS into six stages (A to F). However, there is a possibility that LOS may not be able to provide comfort in a mixed space of both pedestrians and cyclists fully.
In this study, the actual situation of pedestrians and cyclists was investigated on Midosuji in order to widen the street for them. The purpose was to investigate the spatial components that affect their comfort on the road and the space reallocation from the point of view of cyclists and pedestrians. A questionnaire survey (used as a subjective indicator) and a video survey (used as an objective indicator) were compared based on three sections of the road: an undeveloped section, a developed section without a sitting area, and a developed section with a sitting area. The sample of the study was 370 pedestrians and 41 cyclists. The survey was conducted during a peak hour on the three sections.
The results of the survey were based on the change of each LOS index. On the rank of “density” and “the number of events” on LOS improved. The rank of “flow rate” was A, it remained unchanged. Also, the rank of “speed” remained lower than the other items. On the other hand, according to the subjective evaluation, even if the space for pedestrians and cyclists was narrowed after the model maintenance was carried out, comfort would improve if a sitting area was provided. From the above, a difference between the objective indicator and the subjective indicator was observed. The possible reasons for this difference are the influence on the desired speed and the sitting area, such as benches. The pedestrian who walked while thinking “I want to walk faster than now” did not feel comfortable compared to the one who walked while thinking “I want to travel more slowly than now.” For the pedestrians, the sitting area was a comfortable element, while for the cyclists, it was both comfortable and uncomfortable.
In the future, an image analysis will be carried out using yolo v3, which is object detection method from an image based on deep learning. It can efficiently and automatically recognize people. Then, using technical skills, passer-by detection and the state of affairs on sitting and standing will be conducted.
In Japan, a similar reallocation project on Midosuji, the main street in Osaka, started in 2017 based on the concept of human-centered urban space. The project has been undertaken by widening the space for pedestrians and cyclists and narrowing the roadways. This is an effort to ensure the comfort of pedestrians and cyclists. The Level of Service (LOS) concept is often used to evaluate user comfort. This is one of the indicators of comfort in the traffic space. The US Highway capacity manual of 2016 has divided LOS into six stages (A to F). However, there is a possibility that LOS may not be able to provide comfort in a mixed space of both pedestrians and cyclists fully.
In this study, the actual situation of pedestrians and cyclists was investigated on Midosuji in order to widen the street for them. The purpose was to investigate the spatial components that affect their comfort on the road and the space reallocation from the point of view of cyclists and pedestrians. A questionnaire survey (used as a subjective indicator) and a video survey (used as an objective indicator) were compared based on three sections of the road: an undeveloped section, a developed section without a sitting area, and a developed section with a sitting area. The sample of the study was 370 pedestrians and 41 cyclists. The survey was conducted during a peak hour on the three sections.
The results of the survey were based on the change of each LOS index. On the rank of “density” and “the number of events” on LOS improved. The rank of “flow rate” was A, it remained unchanged. Also, the rank of “speed” remained lower than the other items. On the other hand, according to the subjective evaluation, even if the space for pedestrians and cyclists was narrowed after the model maintenance was carried out, comfort would improve if a sitting area was provided. From the above, a difference between the objective indicator and the subjective indicator was observed. The possible reasons for this difference are the influence on the desired speed and the sitting area, such as benches. The pedestrian who walked while thinking “I want to walk faster than now” did not feel comfortable compared to the one who walked while thinking “I want to travel more slowly than now.” For the pedestrians, the sitting area was a comfortable element, while for the cyclists, it was both comfortable and uncomfortable.
In the future, an image analysis will be carried out using yolo v3, which is object detection method from an image based on deep learning. It can efficiently and automatically recognize people. Then, using technical skills, passer-by detection and the state of affairs on sitting and standing will be conducted.