Level of Service on Pedestrian Facilities

Although the significance of the walk mode, especially in central business districts (CBD), is well recognized, pedestrians have received far less attention than vehicular traffic. A fundamental reason for this limited concern is the complexity of pedestrian travel patterns. In-depth research and standard procedures for planning and designing pedestrian facilities are largely underdeveloped compared to other modes. The planning and design methods suggested by many researchers are based primarily on vehicular traffic flow theory. The objective of this article is to present a closer look at the existing methodologies and discuss their effectiveness or their usefulness in the planning process. This article also proposes an alternative planning technique that is more flexible and that will enable user needs to be better incorporated into design considerations.