Automated sidewalk quality and safety assessment system.
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2015-09-01
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Abstract:Sidewalks are often unsafe, exposing pedestrians, wheelchairs users, travelers with strollers, and persons carrying heavy
loads to unnecessary risk. However, prioritizing sidewalk repairs and improvements requires knowledge about the
current system state. The Automated Sidewalk Quality and Safety Assessment System developed in this project can
help communities evaluate the condition of sidewalks and pathways based on sidewalk existence, condition, and
conformance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. In consultation with local transportation planners
and public interest groups, the team calibrated the system to assess sidewalk characteristics and developed an initial
sidewalk quality index (SQI). The team then developed a weighted ranking system to prioritize pedestrian projects by
coupling app-derived ADA compliance data with pedestrian safety indicators (crash rates), land use, and demographic
data (pedestrian activity). The researchers collected and analyzed sidewalk data for 1,352 miles of sidewalks within the
City of Atlanta and used the system to derive block-level pedestrian potential and deficiency indicators to prioritize
planning investments within a subarea of Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. The results of the rank-order prioritization
analyses indicate that blocks near rail stations and high-density land uses should be prioritized for investment. The
system developed in this project can help communities evaluate sidewalk condition, ADA compatibility, and help
agencies use the data in prioritizing pedestrian infrastructure repairs and improvements. Further refinements will extend
the application of the methods to larger geographic scales and to incorporate repair costs into the prioritization
framework.
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