Perceptions and Preferences of University Students for Use of Pedestrian Bridge: A Gender Based Study

Abstract

This research highlights a very important aspect of road safety which is related to the use of pedestrian facilities by young adults, with special focus on the differences related to gender. Pedestrians are considered as the most vulnerable road user group. Moreover, involvement of young people in road crashes is among the most alarming aspects for most of the countries in the world. This research employs a survey questionnaire to determine the preferences related to use of pedestrian bridge, before and after its rehabilitation. The analysis of the questionnaire included statistical tests, logistic regression and CART model. It was found that the physical condition of the bridge has the most profound effect on the hazard perception of young pedestrians, in spite of the presence of other factors related to safety and security. Most of the pedestrians preferred using the pedestrian bridge during the afternoon, irrespective of the condition of the bridge. It was also found that the before data had a higher impact of gender, with more female respondents showing safety concerns and using the pedestrian bridge. The after data showed a more uniform distribution among genders. Although, the CART model showed significant impact of gender on the perception related to beggars, being the most important risk hazard. It is recommended for future studies to be performed on a larger dataset, include more variables and employ CART technique for modeling.