It is time we included Pedestrians in transport planning

Topography is also typically ignored in transport models, which is not such a problem in a flat city without natural barriers. However, occasionally models have access links coded into them which traverse rivers where no footbridges exist; this may be due to an assumption that a bridge would be built over a river between a shopping centre and a metro or LRT station, but these bridges are not always built. In the case of cities which are not flat, acceptable walking distances are likely to be far shorter than typical rules-of-thumb would suggest. Photo 5 shows a view of Amman, Jordan, where many buildings are on hill-sides, added to which Amman experiences both cold winters (with snow) and hot summers, thus shortening acceptable walking distances. Strategic planning and analysis tools should not be used in isolation. They should be paired with more detailed local studies in order to ensure that pedestrian facilities are not overlooked.

Hong Kong developed an innovative solution to its mountainous topography in the form of the Central and Mid-Levels Escalator. It connects Central (the primary CBD) with the primarily residential Mid-Levels. In the early morning this operates downhill, to facilitate commuters walking to work, whilst for the rest of the day it operates uphill. Since this system commenced operation, a number of restaurants, shops and bars have opened up running parallel to it, creating a new entertainment district in the city.

Institutional Factors

Most cities have a number of different – and sometimes disparate – agencies involved in the planning, provision, management, monitoring and financing of transport systems. These bodies often have differing, even conflicting priorities; so pedestrians are often not the only group to suffer.

It is not unknown for different transit operators in a city to see one another more as threats than as potential collaborators who could work together to facilitate interchange and hence, public transport usage as a whole. This was a problem in Kuala Lumpur where the KL Monorail and two LRT lines, developed by different concessionaires, resulted in a number of disconnected interchanges. Most notable was Masjid Jemak in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. Originally, the two Masjid Jemak stations were on opposite sides of a road with not even a pedestrian crossing between them, let alone an in-station interchange arrangement. Buses were administered and operated quite separately. However, following the setting up of Prasarana as a unified public transport authority and operator, moves have been made to provide proper interchanges between lines; and to upgrade pedestrian linkages.

Similar problems have occurred in both Manila and Bangkok – co-ordination between transit and other authorities seems to be lacking. The photograph at the top of this page shows how in the Middle East, passengers have to board and alight in the middle of a highway.

In other cases, institutional issues may simply be a case of demarcation. For example, pavements (also termed sidewalks) may be administered and maintained by a highway authority that does not coordinate closely with transit authorities. In some cases, the responsibility for the maintenance of pedestrian walkways may be vested with local authorities that lack either the finance or the skills to adequately upkeep such facilities. However, problems may also arise when a highway authority or utility company conducts works without properly reinstating pedestrian facilities.

Cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore have had a history of strong, co-ordinated planning which has assisted their attainment of very high public transport mode shares. These are linked to the provision of strong pedestrian networks. In Hong Kong, in order to provide pedestrian networks in a crowded environment, one solution adopted was to implement elevated networks of pedestrian walkways – at Wanchai, Central with Sheung Wan and Admiralty. The bottom photograph on the previous page shows part of this network in Central.

Aspirational Bias

It would appear that in many cities, though by no means exclusively in rapidly developing cities, aspirations towards car ownership by the populace affects the attitude of the decision-makers. Prioritising cars over public transport and walking would sometimes seem to be taken to align with the public’s aspirations for car ownership.

Although maintaining pedestrian sidewalks is usually cheaper than maintaining roads, such sidewalks / pavements are often under-maintained. One pothole on a pavement might be seen as less damaging than a pothole in the road; but over time, a pavement may develop numerous potholes, making it difficult – and even unsafe – to use. In some cities, the mindset that cars are for important people while walking and buses are for people who do not matter creates a hurdle in the process.

Constructing and opening highly visible, large-scale infrastructure such as highway flyovers and bridges can make bigger headlines and hence, generate more publicity than maintaining a walkway. Whilst large public transport investments such as metros, LRT or even Bus Rapid Transit seem now to be able to attract this publicity in many cities, often pedestrian facilities in their vicinity continue to be forgotten or are provided as an afterthought.

Until stations of the Dubai Metro system were opened, providing pedestrian linkage across the Emirate’s iconic section of the Sheikh Zayed Road, there were several kilometres long sections without any means for pedestrians to cross from one side to the other.

When cities consider pedestrianisation of specific areas, there is often initial resistance. Shopkeepers may worry that if customers cannot drive up to the door, they would not shop. However, usually once pedestrian areas are implemented the opposite is true: Shoppers prefer being able to walk in a car-free environment. Retailers are now generally more amenable to pedestrianisation. Such pedestrianisation can even lead to the rebirth of sections of a city. Prior to the 1989 earthquake, San Francisco’s waterfront Embarcadero area hosted an elevated highway. After this collapsed, the city decided that instead of rebuilding the highway, it would be better to reclaim the area for cyclists, walkers and tourists. The photograph on the left shows how part of this area looks today.

There may be many reasons why pedestrians are not adequately considered or provided for, especially in rapidly developing cities. However, failure to do so is liable to result in increased car usage that will further result in increased traffic congestion. In order to overcome this, planners and decision makers should be aware of the weaknesses of standard tools and be prepared to undertake planning in a fractal manner: by all means starting with strategic assessment, but combining this with more detailed analysis of how people can walk to connect with “large scale” transport infrastructure. Institutions often face challenges during rapid development, but coordination between institutions and ensuring that they have the powers and skills necessary to perform their duties is critical. More broadly than these technical and managerial issues however, is a need for mindsets to acknowledge the importance of walking, both in its own right and as part of other trips.

(Richard Di Bona is a Hong Kong-based transport consultant with 19 years’ post-MSc experience gained in projects in over 25 countries. He may be contacted at rfdibona@yahoo.com).

All photographs: Richard Di Bona