Comparison of Pedestrian Intersections on Purdue’s Campus
Research Question
How do pedestrianized locations affect pedestrian usage and pathing preference, what makes them successful?
Background
Somewhat recently, a change was made on Purdue campus to encourage pedestrian usage of an east/west corridor on 3rd street. This corridor creates a connection from the academic side of campus to the living side of campus. This corridor, and an intersection nearby, are the main focus of our research.
Methods
Information gathering was done via image taking. The comparison was between two locations on Purdue’s campus that are one block apart: the intersections of University and 3rd Street and University and 2nd Street. The goals of the information gathering were for comparison of pedestrian movement habits. University street intersects both 2nd and 3rd street, but on the west side of the intersection of 3rd, the roadway is pedestrianized, and does not allow automobile vehicles.
Process
The images taken for before and during on the 3rd Street Intersection were taken from two different angles, due to pictures not being taken with a tripod. Because of the angles of the images, there was a limitation on whether a tripod could be used or not. Another possible error is that images were taken on two separate days due to the limitation of only having one camera. Another error that affects the data is that some images were taken before the passing period and some were only taken during the passing period. For instance, the images taken for 2nd street were both taken during the passing period, and the 3rd street images had two categories with one category being before and one being during. The general process was: 2nd Street images were taken from a single angle at two times. Once “before the passing period”, and once “during the passing period”. For 3rd street, the “before passing period” images were taken from one angle, and then were switched to” during passing period” for a favorable angle of representation
Conclusions
Pedestrianized locations attract pedestrians. Safety parameters and ease of walkability attract usage. Enhancing 2nd street would be the ideal design choice, with design choices such as protected bike lanes, raised or more accessible crossings, more traffic calming measures.
Additional Factors
3rd Street successes: multiple crosswalk options, overall safer, clear traffic directions 2rd Street failures: crosswalks don’t match pathways, confusing signage Increase of community livability: removing vehicles encourages multiple types of transportation, creating a more vibrant community. Environmental benefits: Less noise and air pollution, and lack of motorized vehicles encourage local urban wildlife to convene here. Improved accessibility: With there being a level accessway, ease off access is introduced. Improved safety: less conflict of usage introduces comfort and safety to the corridor.
