Evaluation of Exisiting Pedestrian Walkways and Facilities PDF
Evaluation of Exisiting Pedestrian Walkways and Facilities PDF
Evaluation of Exisiting Pedestrian Walkways and Facilities PDF
1,2
Graduate School of College of Engineering, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
Abstract: The Philippines, as a developing country, is continuously undertaking new infrastructure projects like expressways, and
interchanges that increases the capacity and scope of the road network. However, these infrastructures are only helpful to a certain
point, and too much of it is known to cause traffic congestion problems in the future. While infrastructures provide additional capacity
and mobility for the vehicular roadway, it promotes the use of private vehicles instead of giving more attention to public transportation
and improvement of the pedestrian environment to promote walking. This research is focused on evaluating the existing condition of
pedestrian walkways and facilities in major intersection and interchanges in Metro Manila. Also, this research aimed at formulating
pedestrian planning guidelines to improve the current condition of the urban pedestrian environment.
1
The maintenance and monitoring of pedestrian walkways and pedestrians especially during rush hours in the morning and
crossings is as important as planning and providing the needs in the afternoon. With the large number of pedestrians and
of the pedestrians to the design plans of major intersections vehicles present in the area, traffic congestion and chaotic pe-
and interchanges. As suggested by Shrestha (2011), pedes- destrian movement was very noticeable during peak hours.
trian walkways should always be free from street hawkers this road junction that serves the largest pedestrian volume
and sidewalk vendors as these foreign elements compromises among the three, as it is not only bounded by mass transpor-
the safety, and blocks the smooth flow of foot traffic in the tation means such as Provincial busses from the South of
urban area. Metro Manila, and Buendia station of the Philippine National
Railways (PNR), but also, it is located in Makati Central
2 STUDY AREAS Business District. Moreover, the vicinity of this road junction
The considered study areas evaluated for this paper are the is occupied by various condominiums that houses an average
following: Balintawak interchange, Buendia-Osmeña inter- of 20 floors per building and generates large pedestrian traf-
section, and Nichols interchange. These study areas were fic; another is the presence of the Cash and Carry Mall that
chosen because of their direct connectivity between express- also attracts both vehicles and pedestrians in the area. Lastly,
way and local road, thus acts as a road junction that requires aside from the large amount of foot traffic in the vicinity, the
a change in vehicle travel speed. Aside from the large volume intersection of Buendia and Osmeña is also an entry/exit
of vehicles that these study areas cater, heavy foot traffic are point of large vehicular traffic from South Luzon Expressway
also present in the area. The Study areas are presented in Fig- (SLEX) and Skyway.
ure 1 below. Lastly, Nichols interchange, formerly known as Sales Inter-
change as it serves as a junction for the South Luzon Express-
way (SLEX) and Sales Road – now called Andrews Avenue
for the at-grade level of the interchange. The Skyway and
NAIA Expressway (NAIAEx) connection, together with the
East and West SLEX service road acts as vehicular traffic
generator. This interchange also plays a huge part in the
Balintawak
southbound direction of vehicular traffic because it provides
Interchange access to the East and West service roads of the SLEX aside
from Bicutan interchange. Aside from vehicular traffic, the
interchange also handles the local pedestrian volume from a
large cluster of residential houses of the city of Taguig and
Pasay, and from the Philippine State College of Aeronautics
adjacent to the interchange.
3 METHODOLOGY
Buendia-Osmena In formulating a pedestrian planning guideline that can im-
prove pedestrian walkways and facilities of future infrastruc-
Intersection
ture projects, evaluation of existing interchanges and an in-
change tersection in Metro Manila was undertaken. The following
items are utilized in evaluating the current condition of the
Nichols study areas, as well as in formulating recommendations in
Interchange improving the quality of future pedestrian walkways and fa-
cilities:
1. Vehicle-pedestrian conflicts in the study area;
2. Evaluation of existing pedestrian walkways and facili-
Fig. 1 Study areas ties through Pedestrian Level of Service (PLOS) assess-
ment rating;
Balintawak interchange operates as a full cloverleaf inter- 3) Evaluation of existing pedestrian walkways and facili-
change that allow vehicular mobility on all four directions. It ties through pedestrian survey rating;
also accommodates heavy foot traffic coming from and going 4) DPWH Project planning stages for new infrastructure
the Ayala Cloverleaf development, the Balintawak public projects;
market, the LRT Balintawak Station, the Andres Bonifacio 5) Assessment of existing pedestrian walkways and facil-
Elementary school, and those that are riding and alighting ities by transportation experts
from the provincial busses just before the interchange ramp The first item in the list – conflicts between vehicles and pe-
along A. Bonifacio Avenue. destrians, were observed and recorded during site reconnais-
On the other hand, Buendia-Osmeña intersection serves as sance surveys. These conflicts occur due to lacking continu-
the gateway of Makati and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, ity of pedestrian walkways and pedestrian facilities such as
coming from Manila and Pasay. As an access to the Makati delineated pedestrian crossing (at-grade, overpass, or under-
central business district located at its periphery, it was ob- pass), and stoplight controlled pedestrian crossing or pres-
served to be a very busy intersection for both vehicles and ence of a traffic enforcer. Almodfer et al., (2016) identified
2
these conflicts to cause traffic accidents involving pedestri- gather information on how pedestrian facilities are consid-
ans, and are defined as the sharing of motor vehicles and pe- ered during the planning stage of future DPWH initiated pro-
destrians in the same roads and intersections. jects such as interchanges and major intersections. Lastly,
Second, the study areas were also evaluated using PLOS as- different transportation experts from the academe and indus-
sessment rating as used in the study of Asadi-Shekari et al., try were surveyed. These experts are transport consultants,
(2014). The PLOS assessment for this paper utilized several professors from the University of the Philippines (UP) Dili-
pedestrian indicators to determine the level of service of each man, De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila, as well as mas-
study areas. The indicators used for this paper were adopted ters and doctorate students from both universities. The survey
from Asadi-Shekari et al., and are presented in Table 1 below for the transportation experts were aimed to seek their expert
with its corresponding coefficients. The results of the PLOS opinion in improving future pedestrian walkways and facili-
rating yielded a level of service (LOS) rating for each study ties of interchanges and major intersections, and to determine
area based on their equivalent scores from 0 to 100 ranging which qualitative walkability elements they preferred the
from PLOS A thru F, with A as the highest, and F as the low- most for improving the current pedestrian environment of
est. Metro Manila.
The third in the list is the evaluation of the study areas based
on the perception of the pedestrian on the existing pedestrian
walkways and facilities of the three study areas. The 150 re-
spondents for the pedestrian surveys were chosen randomly
as suggested by Zainol et al., (2014) for the three study areas.
Each respondent is given a questionnaire sheet with two pic-
ture per pedestrian variable, one depicting a poor score, and
the other a high score. Each variable are rated from 1 to 9 –
following a Likert scale type of rating. The pedestrian varia-
bles used are as follows: (1) Weather Protection (2) Walking
Surface (3) Sidewalk Width (4) PWD Ramp (5) Sidewalk
Obstruction (6) Easiness in Crossing Roads (7) Over speed-
ing Vehicles (8) Public Utility Vehicle (PUV Terminal) (9)
Sidewalk Aesthetics (10) Lighting (11) Cleanliness (12) Di-
rectness of Path (13) Signage Visibility (14) Police Visibility
(15). Moreover, incorporated in the pedestrian survey ques-
tionnaire are demographic questions for each of the respond- Fig. 2: Vehicle-pedestrian conflicts
ents and used for survey data correlation.
The fourth and fifth items were utilized in seeking solutions
to improve the pedestrian walkways and facilities in Metro
Manila. DPWH planning personnel were interviewed to
3
4.2 Evaluation of Existing Pedestrian Walkways and
Facilities through PLOS Assessment Rating The Buendia-Osmeña intersection on the other hand as pre-
Based on the pedestrian walkways and facilities of Balinta- sented in Figure 4 have four (4) necessary pedestrian cross-
wak Interchange, Buendia-Osmeña Intersection, and Nichols ings. Of all four, only one has pedestrian crosswalk markings,
Interchange, pedestrian level of service rating were obtained and while the intersection is controlled by traffic enforcers
for each location. However, unlike the PLOS suggested by for vehicular movement, pedestrian movement crossing Gil
the Highway Capacity Manual, this method does not relay on Puyat Avenue is still uncontrolled and without provision of
pedestrian flow and speed but rather on the pedestrian walk- pedestrian traffic signal. Marked pedestrian crossing is repre-
ways condition and the availability of important pedestrian sented by broken lines in color yellow, while unmarked pe-
facilities. PLOS assessment in each of the study areas in- destrian crossing by broken lines in color orange. Pedestrian
volved actual measuring and recording of the walkway and sidewalks on the other hand are adequately provided on three
facilities such as traffic speed adjacent to the sidewalk, buffer out of four observed walkways in the area that are represented
and barrier measurements, number of traveled lanes, number by straight color red lines. The following are the available
of street crossings, crosswalk marking (zebra markings), pedestrian signage in the area: (1) three pedestrian crossing
sidewalk width, lighting, adequate signing, sidewalk slope, sign, (2) two bus stop sign, (3) one no loading and unloading
curb ramp for PWDs, and traffic signal for pedestrian cross- sign, (4) one no parking sign, and (5) one pedestrian sidewalk
ing. The pedestrian walkways and crossings in each study sign.
area were mapped and are presented below.
4
Table 3 Equivalent PLOS scores of study areas
5
Balintawak Interchange due to the lack of pedestrian side- 9
6
none at all. Also, due to the lack of passenger transfer facili-
ties, and PUVs that allow pedestrians to board and alight at
illegal stops, passengers are encourage to disobey traffic
rules. These cases do not only cause traffic congestions, but
&
also increase the rate for vehicle-pedestrian accidents. The
experts added that existing pedestrian walkways and facilities
are not responsive to the present needs of the pedestrians, car-
centric, and have no regard to the distances of crossing facil-
ities.
Moreover, regarding vehicle-pedestrian crashes due to un-
controlled pedestrian crossings, the experts suggested that pe-
destrians should be separated to the vehicular movement or
be provided by a controlling factor at pedestrian crossing lo-
cation such as traffic light or traffic enforcer. Strict imple-
Fig. 7: Project planning stages of DPWH
mentation of policy for both pedestrians and vehicles should
be observed to reduce these vehicle-pedestrian conflicts, they
The surveys interviews further indicates that although PPD
added.
conducts traffic study as part of the proposed project’s feasi-
The experts were also asked about the possible improvements
bility study, there are no pedestrian study included. The pe-
to both existing and future interchanges and major intersec-
destrian study would have reflected the pedestrian movement
tions in the urban environment. They suggested wider side-
within the proposed project vicinity and would have serve as
walks that can provide two-way foot traffic that are free from
guide for the BOD during the design phase. The pedestrian
street vendors and obstructions, covered walkways/side-
study would ensure the continuity of pedestrian movement
walks, zebra crossings, pedestrian signals, traffic enforcers,
within the vicinity including pedestrian crossings and walk-
increased security, proper lighting, and standard PWD provi-
ways, after the proposed project is realized.
sions. Further, to increase convenience, areas with pedestrian
Further, based on the survey interview with Engr. Nenita R.
overpass/underpass can be provided an escalator/elevator for
Jimez, officer-in-charge of the Development Planning Divi-
elderlies and PWDs.
sion (DPD) mentioned during the course of the interview, all
Lastly, the transportation experts were also asked on how to
the preliminary engineering plans coming from the PSD have
ensure the above mentioned improvements in interchanges
pedestrian facilities on them as part of their Department Or-
and major intersections. Dr. Sigua of UP Diliman, NCTS –
der 164 (DO 164) that states all DPWH projects should have
one of the respondent answered “there is a need for a para-
a complete set of road attributes including shoulder, curb and
digm shift – give priority to crossing pedestrians, people be-
gutter, and the pedestrian sidewalk. However, it is only stated
fore vehicles”. Dr. Sigua’s statement would really improve
that a sidewalk is necessary in the design and construction,
Metro Manila’s pedestrian environment if followed. One way
but does not include the provision for pedestrian crossings
to achieve this kind of urban environment is to place the pe-
that are key in ensuring the continuity of the pedestrian walk-
destrians at the heart of every infrastructure design. Other
ways in a project vicinity, especially in interchanges and ma-
traffic consultants also pointed out that LGUs in conjunction
jor intersections.
with the barangay officials, should stop letting the vendors
Moreover, planning personnel respondents mentioned that
occupy the pedestrian walkways just to prevent conflicts with
pedestrian movement within the vicinity of an infrastructure
voters, especially during the time of the election.
project should also be monitored during its service period –
after design and construction phase. This is to accommodate
the changing needs of the pedestrians, particularly when new 5 CONCLUSION
developments that generates additional foot traffic arises Based on the three road junctions evaluated on this study, it
within or near the project vicinity. In such cases, additional can be concluded that these road junctions still lack adequate
pedestrian crossings might be required to maintain the conti- and safe pedestrian crossings that permits the separation of
nuity of pedestrian movement within the vicinity. In addition vehicular traffic from that of the pedestrians may it be in time
to this, Bureau of Quality and Safety (BQS) – another divi- or in space. These vehicle-pedestrian conflicts, if solved,
sion in DPWH, handles evaluation and analysis of existing could significantly reduce not only the vehicular traffic con-
intersections in the Philippines. However, this is not the case gestion within the vicinity but also lower the rate of pedes-
in Metro Manila, as MMDA primarily has jurisdiction for ve- trian accidents due to vehicular crashes in Metro Manila.
hicular and pedestrian traffic. Also, based on the results of this study, a Technical Working
Group (TWG) per city in Metro Manila is recommended.
4.5 Assessment of existing pedestrian walkways and This group would be comprise of representatives from the
facilities by transportation experts LGUs, DPWH, MMDA, as well as transportation experts.
Transport experts were asked about the existing conditions of The TWG would ensure that the following pedestrian plan-
pedestrian walkways and facilities in Metro Manila. Most of ning guidelines are incorporated during the planning and fea-
them mentioned that sidewalks are being occupied by ven- sibility stage:
dors, there is no continuity, it is too narrow, and sometimes a. Pedestrian study in parallel with vehicular traffic study
as part of the full-scale feasibility study of a new project;
7
b. Recommend pedestrian walkways, crossings and facili- Zainol et al., (2014). Evaluation of users' satisfaction on pe-
ties based on the conducted pedestrian study to the BOD destrian facilities using pair-wise comparison approach.
for their reference in the design phase of a new project; IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 18 012175
c. Ensure the connectivity of public transport terminal to
pedestrian walkways; and
d. Conduct yearly assessment of the pedestrian walkways,
crossings, and facilities for maintenance/improvements
and repair works.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would first like to thank my thesis advisor and my co-author
in this conference paper Dr. Alexis M. Fillone of the College
of Engineering at De La Salle University. He constantly pro-
vided insights for this paper. Second, I would like to thank all
our the pedestrian respondent, DPWH planning personnel,
and the transportation experts from DLSU, Manila and from
UP Diliman.
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