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.
