MODELLING THE LEVEL OF SERVICE OF PEDESTRIANS UNDER HETEROGENEOUS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

Abstract

Walking forms the basic as well as sustainable mode of transportation. A good strategy for addressing the social and environmental problems related to traffic and transportation is to encourage people to walk and use public transportation. Policymakers must prioritise the needs and expectations of pedestrians in order to encourage individuals to choose walking as their preferred form of transportation. Therefore, urban transportation networks should establish a secure and enjoyable walking environment. The aim of the study is to identify the various factors affecting pedestrian level of service at sidewalks of Kollam district in Kerala, India. Thereby, estimating the significant factors by conducting Pearson correlation at 95% confidence interval using SPSS software. Based on significant factors, best-fit regression model was developed among different regression methods. Ridge regression is found to be the best-fit model, with an accuracy of 97.14%. The threshold values for PLOS, pedestrian density and space were estimated using k-means clustering. In order to evaluate, the aspects of the walking environment that primarily determine the degree of service provided to pedestrians, this study looks into a number of pedestrian-related issues. To improve the quality of sidewalks and make the city more walkable, city planners can establish new strategies and policy interventions with the help of the proposed model and threshold values.