Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
33rd ICTCT: Paving the way to safer active urban mobility—challenges and opportunities, Berlin, Almanya, 28 - 29 Ekim 2021, ss.24-25
The planning of the walkable environment is gaining more and more attention due to its
various benefits related to public, sustainability, or social life. Therefore, there is an
increasing need for knowledge about the concept of walking and the walking behaviors of
pedestrians in the built environment. During the pandemic period, as the interest in public
transportation decreased in many countries, interest in non-motorized travel options increased
and influenced the countries' policies. In this respect, walking is one of the most preferred
transportation modes as a sustainable urban transportation mode. However, pedestrians are
one of the most vulnerable road user groups in traffic, and therefore pedestrians face many
risky situations in traffic. Most accidents involving pedestrians occur when pedestrians cross
the street because it is a possible situation for pedestrians-vehicle interaction or conflict.
Statistics indicated that in Turkey, the reason for approximately 7% of pedestrian accidents is
not to slow down at pedestrian and school crossings and not to give pedestrians the right of
way (General Directorate of Security, 2020). In the light of all these, countermeasures that
emphasize pedestrian safety should be considered in the planning of cities, and the effective
use of pedestrian crossings should be encouraged by these design features. Understanding the
crossing behavior of pedestrians is critical for deciding effective countermeasures to increase
pedestrian safety. Pedestrian crossing behavior is influenced by various factors such as
personal characteristics, traffic conditions, and environmental factors.
In this context, this study examines pedestrian behaviors and the factors affecting pedestrian
behavior in Ankara-Tunalı Hilmi Street. Tunalı Hilmi Street has an approximate length of 1.5
km. Due to its location close to the city center, it is an area with high traffic and pedestrian
density. A 250-meter-long section starting from Tunalı Hilmi Street to Tunus Street was
selected as the study area. This study aims to understand the behaviors, perceptions, and
preferences of pedestrians in the study area. In addition, it aims to identify situations that
create safety concerns for pedestrians in the area and offer suggestions addressing these
concerns. For this purpose, a survey study and an observational study are planned to be
conducted. An online survey will be designed to reach more people. People who live and
work around the study area will be contacted by delivering brochures advertising the study
and from social media platforms. The survey will include questions about road user
demographics (e.g., age, gender), opinions about the site, crossing behaviors, and preferences.
The expected results of the survey are to determine the crossing preferences of pedestrians,
understand their motivation when crossing the street, understand the main reason for the
attitude regarding traffic rules, and understand the safety perceptions about the area. In
addition, it is expected that the situations that negatively affect road safety in the area for
pedestrians will be understood. The observation study was planned by dividing the study area
into three parts according to its spatial characteristics. The observation study involves taking
30-minute recordings from different angles, capturing the pedestrian mobility in these three
parts. The observation data aims to give information about crossing points (whether it is on a
pedestrian crossing), crossing time, pedestrian crossing volumes, pedestrian crossing behavior
(whether pedestrians are walking, running, or whether it is a group crossing). From the
observation study, the preferred location for pedestrians to cross (e.g., crossing patterns) are
expected to be determined. It is also expected that the observation data will provide
information about the compatibility of pedestrian facilities with pedestrians. As a result of
these studies, the suggestions aiming to increase pedestrian safety in this area are planned to
be offered. In addition, it is thought that the results of this study will contribute to the
determination of the factors affecting the crossing behaviors of pedestrians related to the
external environment. As a result, it will help to arrange crossing facilities according to
pedestrian preference because the proper design of facilities contributes to pedestrian safety
and encourages walking without sacrificing safety and comfort.
References: General Directorate of Security. (2020, December). Monthly Traffic Statistics
Bulletin. http://trafik.gov.tr/kurumlar/trafik.gov.tr/04-Istatistik/Aylik/aralilk20.pdf