The walking health: A route choice model to analyze the street factors enhancing active mobility

Abstract

IntroductionThe promotion of walking for transportation is a promising strategy to address not only the traffic bottlenecks or environmental pollution but also to provide health benefits to the patrons. Nevertheless, as enhancing active modes of transportation, including trips to and from shops-is easier in small or medium cities, it is quite a complex task in big urban areas. MethodsIn the framework of the R + D + i DESPACIO project, in 2018, a street and online survey was carried out in the city of Madrid to gather information about different mobility habits, focusing on pedestrian mobility and on the respondents’ perceptions of issues related to mobility on foot. In order to promote more trips on foot, this study analyzed the factors influencing the walking route choice, other than distance. Some respondents also drew on a map the routes undertaken the previous day, indicating the trip purpose. Using the TransCAD software, the real factors that influenced the respondents when walking were obtained. ResultsThe key factors for selecting the walking routes were those linked to attractiveness (e.g., green areas, amenities, tourist attractions, etc.) and accessibility (e.g., obstacles, pavement width). The purpose of the trip did not change much the results, although they were accentuated when the trips were made for shopping. ConclusionsThe applied methodology confirms that pedestrian streets, with green areas or access facility —and, hence, less noisy and polluted — were those enhancing a walking habit, and they were also the ones preferred by the citizens, who appreciated those attributes above the more classic ones of distance and time. Therefore, the street design and the pedestrian routes were found to be the most suitable to achieve healthier cities and citizens.