Estimating the effects of older people in pedestrian flow: A micro-simulation approach

As the percentage of older people (65 years or older) rapidly increases within the population, it becomes more important to provide with innovative transportation alternatives that would help maintain their independence while also assuring the safety and comfort of other public transit users. As a result, public transit providers should examine and address pedestrian preferences and expectations. Changes in physical factors associated with ageing affect the ability of older pedestrians to function in the traffic environment. Deteriorating eye sight and balance affect walking speed and reaction times. Established pedestrian design and evaluation criteria might need revisiting to reflect current population composition. This paper explores the effects of older pedestrian proportion on flow. Future population proportions are explored based on present trends in population. A micro-simulation approach is employed in order to investigate the potential effects of their increased proportion in pedestrian flow and on the level-of-service (LOS) criteria used in planning and design of pedestrian-dominated facilities. Simulation results show that increased proportion of older pedestrians has the potential to shift LOS to a lower level. A shift from LOS C to D, D to E, and E to F are notable for the higher proportions.

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