Estimation of foot overpass and underpass service quality and users attribute ranking

Abstract

There are insufficient transit facilities for automobile and pedestrian traffic in Dhaka, the world's tenth most populous metropolis, where pedestrian movement plays a vital role. But, the number of grade-separated pedestrian crossing facilities is significantly less. Furthermore, the available grade-separated pedestrian crossing facilities, such as foot over bridges (FOBs) and underpasses, do not provide enough service. This research aims to determine the average operational capacity of pedestrian overpasses and underpasses in Dhaka City, compare the theoretical level of service (LOS) to pedestrian perception-based LOS, determine the percentage of pedestrian crossing priority, including age-based behavior, develop regression-based models, and identify and rank the significant attributes influencing service quality (SQ) of the pedestrian foot over bridges and underpasses. The findings of this study are expected to provide a simple method for improving the overall SQ of pedestrian crossing facilities in Dhaka city.

Field data were collected from every study location. After thoroughly inspecting physical features, the average hourly pedestrian flow was monitored to determine the LOS following the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2016. In addition, unruly and rule-based crossings were also examined to assess the effectiveness of crossing facilities. Gender priority and age-based grouping data for each study location were determined. Finally, regression model analysis was utilized in this study to rank the significant attributes that influence the LOS of grade-separated crossing facilities in Dhaka city.

Most pedestrian underpasses have an average operational capacity of 800-2000 people. The operational capacity of overpasses was estimated to be between 2500 and 3000 pedestrians per hour. The average efficiency of crossing facilities was found 45.29%, which is insufficient. Based on the designed width, the average theoretical LOS of pedestrian underpasses was calculated as A. The average theoretical LOS has been calculated as B based on the effective width of underpasses. Based on designed and effective width, the average theoretical LOS of FOBs was found to be between C and D. On the LOS of Dhaka city's overpasses and underpasses, user perception revealed that 35.8% of pedestrians rated D (low moderate), and 30.4% rated C. In most overpasses and underpasses, pedestrian crossing behavior involves unruly crossing. 24.52% of pedestrians do not observe the regulations when crossing roads. In Dhaka, 31.88 % of pedestrian crossing facility users are between the ages of 19 and 30, which is the maximum. Males account for 50.29% of users in Dhaka City, while females account for 28.65%, and children account for 21.14 %. The most male, female, and child users were observed in Gulistan (79.06%), Karwan-Bazar (34.35%), and Gabtali (15.89%), respectively, among the three underpasses. Most male, female, and child users were identified at Banglamotor (78.76%), Shahbag (40.32%), and Farmgate (11.9%), respectively, among the overpasses. The priority-based user-friendly solution is represented by the ranking of attributes from the survey and model. The foremost objective should be to ease congestion and eliminate hawkers/beggars, which will require a small expenditure. At the same time, stair width should be adequate to allow free movement.